European Powers' Response Unconventional To Modi's Victory: Sardar Masood Khan

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan Thursday said the response of European powers to Narendra Modi's victory in the Indian Lok Sabha elections 2019 was unconventional

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd May, 2019 ) :Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan Thursday said the response of European powers to Narendra Modi's victory in the Indian Lok Sabha elections 2019 was unconventional.

Speaking at the conference on "Enduring Rivalry-Post Indian Election Scenario in Occupied Kashmir" organized here by the Centre for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS) as chief guest, he said earlier in the previous elections they used to welcome the winning party and also endorse their agenda as per reviewing their policies in the aftermath. The European Union was expected to welcome the election developments in India.

"There is tidal wave of violent extremism in India targeting Kashmiris and Muslims. It is in line with the prevailing global ethno-nationalism movements in the US and the UK, which will ultimately lead them to support India in its blatant human rights violations and barbarism in the Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK).

"The West will tolerate Xenophobia and human rights violations in India as it is not a transient rather enduring phenomenon," he added.

The AJK President said the IoK had not been integrated in the states and federation of India at the moment which Pakistan should highlight at the global front. The United Nations Security Council's intervention for a free plebiscite in the IoK for self- determination opened multilateral diplomacy which Pakistan should pursue as Indians eluded Kashmir at such forums to avoid any discussion, he added.

"India's approach on the Kashmir Issue is coercive while Pakistan's diplomatic. If ever a war breaks out between both the nations escalating then it would trigger from Kashmir converting into a nuclear conflict," he warned.

President Masood Khan said various scientists and analysts had made studies on this region in the light of the Kashmir issue, which stated that if in the war between India and Pakistan 15 kilo tonnes heavy bombs equal to the size of 'Little Boy' (nuclear bomb dropped over Hiroshima) were thrown across the borders for 10 days to 25 days then 20 million people were to perish across the sides, 15 million in the coming days and 2.5 billion people to get affected directly or indirectly across the world. However, it would also result into massive refugee outflow and cancer endemic and change in weather patterns, he added.

He said the Modi regime had a three-prong strategy in the IoK: "Kill Kashmiris, don't talk to them and close every venue of dialogue at Pakistan." He said there was need of national unity among the masses in Pakistan as it was crafted by a statesman, which was imperative for the country at present. "We need to make Pakistan economically strong to fight for the Kashmir issue and Kashmir should be taken on priority at multilateral diplomatic front." Maj Gen (r) Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery, in his welcome note, mentioned that the Kashmir issue was unique in the history where the innocent Kashmiris had been suffering for the last 15 decades. The international community, he said, had been ignorant of state crimes and human rights violations due to its vested interests and economic ties with India, he added.

Modi, he said, had nearly won elections and it was nothing unexpected rather he would come more heavy on the Kashmiris as he was very firm on the Kashmir issue.

Former ambassador Abdul Basit said,"We need to keep our house in order first as without economic and political stability we could not succeed on diplomatic front for Kashmir. It is high time to revisit and weigh our options to inject energy in our diplomatic efforts for the Kashmir cause." Former law minister Ahmer Bilal Soofi advocated the need to document Indian atrocities in the IoK like a full-fledged case then it would change the optics of the issue. "There should be a separate file of each atrocity and individuals affected separately stating injuries and the military unit involved in inflicting those brutalities deputed in the occupied territory," he said.

The Pakistani and AJK governments should come up with a documented database of atrocities and victims identifying those violations as per international humanitarian laws and treaties, he said."There is need to invest in young lawyers who see the Kashmir Issue in a different way." Hurriyat leader Mushaal Mullick said,"Kashmiris have been facing the wrath of Modi regime for the last five years where she has not been able to go to the IoK for the past four years." She said the Kashmir issue was a very deep subject where "we need to have a strong grip of the matter. My husband Yasin Malik is in the Tihar jail and his health has been very weak due to extreme mental and physical torture by the Indian forces in the jail. We still believe in peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue after facing decades of inhuman brutalities of the occupant Indian forces in the IoK." She urged the nation to raise the Kashmir's voice at social media and every possible forum to apprise the international community about true Indian human rights violations in the IoK. She urged the international community to play role in resolving the crisis before its too late to avoid a nuclear war between the two countries.

Former ambassador Zamir Akram said Pakistan required a coherent policy as it always had abrupt and inconsistent mechanism to tackle the issue at global level. There were certain UN conventions that recognize the rights of people under foreign and alien aggression which could not be equated with terrorism, he added.

However, the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, he said adopted a report which highlighted the right of self-determination of Kashmiri people and asked India to respect Kashmiris' right of self determination.

Lt Gen (r) Ghulam Mustafa said without Kashmir there was no concept of Belt and Road Initiative of China and "we should thank the great people who fought to take the AJK out of the Indian occupation."There was need of understanding at the level of Pakistani leadership to realize the time limit available for making measures to safeguard Kashmiri rights at global level, he added.