ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has categorically rejected the polls for the Legislative Assembly of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), saying that these elections are no substitute for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
According to a statement issued by the President House on Wednesday, the President made the remarks while talking to a delegation of migrants from IIOJK, residing in Pakistan since 1989, led by Uzair Ahmed Ghazali.
He emphasised that such polls are unacceptable to the people of Kashmir and called upon the global community to hold the Modi government accountable for ongoing human rights violations in IIOJK. He further stressed the need to take concrete steps toward conducting a plebiscite in line with relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
Welcoming the delegation, the President condemned the Legislative Assembly polls in IIOJK, terming them as part of India’s broader strategy to consolidate its illegal occupation of the region. He highlighted that such actions could neither legitimize India’s occupation nor suppress the freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people. He added that India was trying to alter the demographic structure of IIOJK by turning the Kashmiri Muslims into a minority and transforming them into a disempowered community in their own land.
The President went on to say that Pakistan greatly valued the sacrifices made by the Kashmiri people for their rights and would continue to stand in solidarity with them. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to provide political, moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people till the realization of their right to self-determination.
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The delegation told the President about the atrocities being committed by the Modi regime in IIOJK. It was highlighted that the entire Kashmiri leadership had been imprisoned to suppress the voice of the people of Kashmir. The delegation also apprised the President about the issues of the refugees in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The President stated that a protest should be lodged over the illegal steps and atrocities being committed by the Indian Occupation Forces in IIOJK. He said that Pakistan was committed to the socio-economic uplift of refugees and resolving their problems. He assured the delegation that the Government of AJK would be asked to enhance subsistence allowance as well as provide other relief measures to Kashmiri refugees. He further added that Pakistan’s social safety net would be extended to include 8000 migrant families through the Benazir Income Support Programme.
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The delegation thanked the President for Pakistan’s continued political, moral and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people. The delegation also lauded the efforts and role of the Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who strongly advocated the cause of the people of IIOJK at different forums during his tenure as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan.
