Pakistani women to continue support for Kashmiri sisters till freedom: Firdous

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Wednesday said the Pakistani women from all walks of organized a rally in Islamabad to express solidarity with their brave sisters and children of the Indian Occupied and Jammu Kashmir (IOJ&K) and renew the pledge to continue support for the cause of Kashmir till freedom from the Indian yoke. Addressing the rally, which marched towards the UNHCR office, at the starting point, she said the women, including parliamentarians, members of the civil society, working journalists and housewives, had gathered here along with their children to express solidarity with the Kashmiri women and children, who were deprived of all fundamental rights including religious, human and constitutional rights. She said they would make a human chain to express solidarity with the Kashmiri women, who had been victimized by the Indian occupation forces, using rape as a weapon of war. The observance of solidarity day meant to give a message to the international community that Pakistan would continue its support for the cause of Kashmiris and nobody could deny them their right to self-determination, she added. She said various activities had been organized all over the country, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, to express solidarity with the IOJ&K people and shake the world’s conscience for an end to the illegal Indian occupation of the valley. Dr Firdous urged the United Nations, human rights organizations and international media to play their due role in highlighting the plight of Kashmiris. The SAPM said Prime Minister Imran Khan was advocating the cause of Kashmiri people at all international fora as their advocate and ambassador, and exposing the Indian face before the world. She said the day was no far when they would see the dawn of freedom. Later, Dr Firdous presented a memorandum highlighting the oppression of Indian armed forces in the IOJ&K, to UN Resident Representative in Pakistan Julien Harneis. The memorandum emphasized that 5th February was being observed around the world to express solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It stated that the IOJ&K people were living under a state of siege for more than seven decades of cruel and illegal Indian occupation. Honouring the courageous and valiant people of IOJ&K and paying tribute to all those men, women and children, who had laid down their lives fighting for their right of self-determination over seven decades, the memorandum underscored that Jammu and Kashmir was an internationally recognized dispute that had been and continued to be on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) since 1948, and reaffirmed by the subsequent relevant UNSC resolutions. Recognizing that any political process held under the foreign occupation cannot be a substitute to the exercise of the right to self-determination by the people of the Jammu and Kashmir as provided in the relevant UNSC resolutions, the memorandum reaffirmed that Pakistan’s consistent political, moral and diplomatic support would continue to the Kashmiri people until the realization of their legitimate right to self-determination as per the relevant UNSC resolutions. The memorandum strongly condemned the unilateral and illegal actions of the Indian Government of August 5 and October 31, 2019 and the subsequent illegal detentions, arrests, lockdown, communications blockade, media blackout in the 1OJ&K, which had brought immense sufferings to its people. The memorandum expressed grave concern at the continued presence of more than 900,000 military personnel thereby turning the entire valley into a virtual open air prison, and making it one of the most militarized areas of the world. It condemned the past and present Indian atrocities, and violations of fundamental freedoms and basic human rights of the people of IOJ&K. It also condemned the crimes against humanity by the Indian occupation forces in IOJ&K resulting in the killing of more than 100,000 Kashmiris, widowing of around 22,000 women, rape of over 12,000 women and girls. Around 108,000 children had been orphaned due to Indian atrocities in the 1OJ&K. Denouncing detention of over 13,000 Kashmiri children in undisclosed locations in the IOJ&K and rest of India, it condemned the use of pellet guns and live fire-arms by the Indian security forces against innocent civilians, including young children resulting in mass blindings. The memorandum deplored harassment of medical staff attending the pellet gun victims in the IOJ&K, and condemned torture and humiliation of the ordinary civilians by the Indian security forces in the occupied valley. It strongly condemned the horrifying violence against women, including rape, braid-cutting and other forms of torture, and denounced the use of rape of women in the 1OJ&K as a weapon of war by the occupation forces. Underscoring that Indian atrocities in the IOJ&K against women and girls were sheer violation of the UNSC Resolution 1325, the memorandum expressed concern on trauma reports by reputed international organizations and civil society about stressful mental and physical health of Kashmiri people, especially women and children. It deplored the impunity accorded to the occupation forces by India’s draconian laws, and the continuing violence against women and children especially use of children as human shields by them. The memorandum denounced India’s deliberate targeting of the civilian population with the intensified ceasefire violations, which had led to the death of Kashmiris, including women and children, across the Line of Control. The memorandum noted the Report of the High Commissioner for Human rights (OHCHR) of June 2018 and July 2019 documenting extensively the grave and systematic violations of human rights in the IOJ&K and endorse the call by the High Commissioner to the Human rights Council to conduct a comprehensive independent international investigation into these human rights violations in IOJ&K. Calling upon the international community to impress upon India to immediately stop violence against men, women and children in the IOJ&K, the memorandum demanded India to immediately repeal the draconian laws such as Public Safety Act |(PSA) and Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) . It also stressed on the UN Security council to enforce a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions. The memorandum called upon India to allow unhindered access to the Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), and respect its mandate in accordance with the relevant UNSEC resolutions. It demanded the Government of India to implement forthwith the pending UNSC resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir that call for a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations to determine the will of the people for the final disposition (resolution) of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. #insolidaritywithKashmir