Dire HR Conditions In IOJK ; Time For Decision Making On Kashmir: AJK President

Azad Jammu Kashmir President, Sardar Masood Khan Wednesday urged the international community to make serious efforts for resolving longstanding Kashmir issue as India took more systematic steps to enforce its draconian measures in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK).

MIRPUR [AJK]: (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Nov, 2019 ):Azad Jammu Kashmir President, Sardar Masood Khan Wednesday urged the international community to make serious efforts for resolving longstanding Kashmir issue as India took more systematic steps to enforce its draconian measures in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK).

"The situation in IOK is nothing less than catastrophic," he said adding that Kashmir was passing through the darkest period in all of its history.

The president made these remarks while interacting with various representatives from CNN Turk, Cumhuriyet, TRT, Ulusal Kanal, T�rkiye, Sabah, Milli Gazete and Milliyet upon his arrival in Ankara, AJK Presidential Secretariat said in a statement released to media here.

The AJK President said that the people of Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir were ready to resolve the Kashmir issue through peaceful diplomatic means and under the auspices of the United Nations.

India recently opposed the convening of the UN Security Council session on Kashmir claiming it was an internal matter, he added.

" We must explore diplomatic means to resolve the issue as the situation has become a grave humanitarian crisis in IOJK, the president said.

Masood Khan said that India had, on August 5, reoccupied and bifurcated the Jammu and Kashmir territory, and was now in the process of colonizing this area through land grab thereby violating existing international law and conventions.

Young Kashmiris were being rounded up and sent to prison houses all over India, movement of any sort had been banned, schools are closed, women are molested and rape was being used as an instrument of war in IOJK, he informed.

The settlement of the Hindu population in IOJK was a grave violation of international humanitarian law and was a crime against humanity, he pointed out.

He said that there was a systematized genocide taking place in IOJK and US-based Genocide Watch had already warned that according to its ten stages of the genocidal process, the situation in Kashmir was far advanced.

The UN, he said, under its own Security Council resolutions, must step forward and allow the people to exercise their right to self-determination in IOJK.

The matter of Jammu and Kashmir, he added, was a UN-recognized dispute and the international community must persuade India from taking unilateral steps in the disputed territory and make them come back to the dialogue table.

"We should not close doors on diplomatic processes. We thank Turkey for its role in vocally advocating diplomacy and talks. We welcome any facilitation or mediation from Turkey", he said.

The President during his interview thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for speaking in support for the Kashmiri people during his address to the UN General Assembly, calling for a dialogue on Kashmir and resolving the dispute on the basis of justice and equity, and not through collision.

The response of the United Nations has been disappointing, he said. Beyond holding an informal session on Kashmir, the UN has been complacent and according to the UN Charter it was their core responsibility to stem ongoing genocide taking place in IOJK and the drift towards war as evident from the threatening statements issued by the Indian Prime Minister, their Army Chief and leading BJP and RSS leaders.

The President thanked the OIC for its strong statement on the situation in IOJK during the meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir held on the sidelines of the UNGA and in its resolution criticizing of the prolonged curfew imposed in the territory post, August 5.

The AJK President praised the role of the turkish media for its very proactive role in creating awareness on Kashmir issue.

He said the leadership of Turkey was quite aware of the horrendous situation in IOJK and this visit would focus on appealing to opinion-makers and leaders in Turkey to play a role and act as a catalyst by using their influence with India to stop the killings taking place in IOJK.

He added that we also requested the Turkish leadership to pursue humanitarian diplomacy and explore any space to help alleviate the sufferings of the Kashmiris.

"We have reached a stage that influential countries including Turkey should use their clout to move from awareness-raising on Kashmir to decision making to help the Kashmiris achieve their right to self-determination", he said.

The President said that the people of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir aspired for economic development and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was a catalyst that had positively affected the people of this region.

He said that China had been working closely with Pakistan for the implementation of the CPEC projects and the projects of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) would play a constructive role in taking numerous nations closer to their economic goals.