ISLAMABAD: Leaders from all across the nation vehemently opposed the Legislative Assembly elections that are taking place in Jammu and Kashmir, which is occupied by India, on Wednesday, stating that they do not replace the right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination.
President Asif Ali Zardari urged the international community to hold the Modi government responsible for the continuous breaches of human rights in the occupied region while addressing a delegation. He emphasized that the people of Kashmir rejected such elections.
He also emphasized the necessity of moving forward with a plebiscite in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
“No one can talk about division of Kashmir in our presence,” said Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, the prime minister of AJK, in the meantime.
“Those who are comparing Azad Kashmir with the India-occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir must bear in mind the fact that the people of occupied Kashmir don’t have the right to offer prayers,” the speaker stated at a Palandri rally.
Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, the president of the Autonomous Journalist Kashmir (AJK), also denounced the Indian government’s attempts to justify its rule over the region by holding “bogus elections” in front of tens of thousands of soldiers.
He emphasized that these elections are a desperate attempt to deceive the whole community and have no legitimacy.
He drew attention to the worsening state of human rights in occupied Kashmir since August 5, 2019, the day India revoked Article 370 and Article 35-A, thus ending the region’s unique status.
He emphasized that this action was a flagrant transgression of international law, citing UN resolutions that demand a regional referendum.
