Pakistan Calls For Release Of Kashmiri Prisoners, Lifting Of Restrictions In IOJ&K

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Mar, 2020 ) :Pakistan has once again expressed its deep concerns over continued restrictions in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoJ&K), despite so many confirmed cases and two deaths due to Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Thousands of Kashmiri youth, members of civil society, journalists and Kashmiri leaders remained incarcerated in Indian prisons, many of them at undisclosed locations and away from their families.

The international community, cognizant of the worst human rights violations and the atrocities being perpetrated by India in IoJ&K, must urgently demand from India the lifting of communication restrictions and allowing unfettered access to medical and other essential supplies, the foreign office spokesperson said in a press release on Sunday.

"The Indian government must also be urged to immediately allow release of all political prisoners from Indian jails, end incarceration of Kashmiri leaders including the senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leadership, restore full internet facility in the entire occupied region, remove PSA and other draconian laws, and withdraw occupation forces from the IoJ&K," it added.

For its part, it said, Pakistan would continue supporting its Kashmiri brethren in their rightful struggle against Indian oppression till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council's resolutions.

� The Indian forces continue to operate in the occupied territory with complete impunity under draconian laws such as Public Safety Act (PSA) and Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA).

The senior Hurriyat leadership is under detention at homes or in different prisons. Hurriyat leaders Yasin Malik, Asia Andrabi and others are languishing in Indian jails under fake charges without a free or fair trial. Yasin Malik, already suffering from deteriorating health, has threatened an indefinite hunger strike to protest against a false charge sheet by the Indian government in a 30-year old case. � � Since the Indian illegal actions of August 5,2019, all educational institutions in IoJ&K have almost remained closed. The students were unable to continue virtual education due to continued restrictions on 4g Internet services.

"While the world is fighting the worst global health emergency, over 900,000 Indian military and para-military occupation troops continue adding to the suffering of innocent Kashmiris," it added.

� The dire human rights and humanitarian situation in IOJ&K, exacerbated by India's illegal and unilateral actions since August 5,2019, has been amply exposed by the international human rights organizations and international media. The Indian government cannot continue to suppress the legitimate aspirations of the people of IoJ&K without facing international opprobrium and censure.