Remarks by H.E. Mr. Sohail Mahmood, Ambassador of Pakistan, at the ESAM Seminar commemorating “Kashmir Solidarity Day” Ankara, 7 February 2017

Excellencies,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies & Gentlemen: Assalam-o-Alaikum

“You can take away our eyes; but how can you take away our dreams.”

This is how an innocent, unarmed, young Kashmiri girl is responding with defiance, courage and resolve to the continuing Indian atrocities -- especially the use of pellet guns targeting the eyes of the Kashmiris.

Indeed, neither the 70 years of illegal Indian occupation, nor the extreme brutality of Indian security forces in maintaining this occupation, have succeeded in subduing the spirit of the Kashmiri people.

Their dreams and aspirations live on -- more vivid and stronger every day.

Distinguished participants,

Occupied Jammu & Kashmir remains one of the most militarized zones of the world, with more than 700,000 Indian security forces, armed with lethal weapons and black laws ensuring complete immunity for their black actions.

Kashmir also remains one of the longest lasting situations of foreign occupation, like Palestine, and the longest unresolved issue on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council.

Over 7 decades of brutal Indian occupation has resulted in the martyrdom of thousands of Kashmiris. Since 1990 alone, over 100,000 innocent Kashmiris have made the ultimate sacrifice in the quest for freedom from Indian yoke.

For the last eight months, the Kashmiris are enduring a renewed cycle of brutal repression at the hands of the occupying forces.

Since the extra-judicial killing of Burhan Wani on 8 July 2016, 150 Kashmiris have been martyred.

More than 20,000 have been injured.

The eye-sight of over 1,000 Kashmiris has been partially or permanently impaired due to the use of pellets by Indian security forces.

There is no distinction between women, children and the elderly. All are targeted indiscriminately.

Within the past few months alone, Indian occupying forces have illegally detained over 12,000 innocent Kashmiris without any charges.

The details of unending curfews, house arrests or detentions of Kashmiri leaders, beatings and torture of common Kashmiris, rape and sexual assault of Kashmiri women, disappearance of Kashmiri men and their extra-judicial killings, and collective punishment and mass graves are simply heart-breaking.  

While all this goes on with impunity, the international media and international human rights and humanitarian organizations are denied access to the occupied territory.

Kashmiris are being punished for demanding their inalienable right to self-determination – a right enshrined in the United Nations Charter and repeatedly pledged to them by India, Pakistan, and the international community in the shape of Security Council resolutions.

Their long occupation and brutal suppression continues to haunt the conscience of humanity.

Some conscientious voices have been raised, including by UN and the OIC. Some people of goodwill inside India and abroad have also spoken.

However, more is urgently needed.

It is imperative for the international community to act immediately and decisively to stop the tragedy unfolding in Occupied Kashmir.

We hope the world would play its rightful role in ensuring a just, peaceful and durable solution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

This is indispensable both for justice and for durable peace and stability in South Asia.

The Kashmiris, and the people of Pakistan, deeply appreciate the support and solidarity they have always received from the government and people of Turkey.

This support was unequivocally reaffirmed during the Honorable President Erdogan’s visit to Pakistan in November 2016, and his Address to Joint Session of Parliament.

Turkey, as the chair of OIC, has also been pursuing the initiative to send a fact-finding mission to Kashmir.

The presence of all our distinguished participants in the observance of “Kashmir Solidarity Day” this evening is a further reflection of Turkey’s abiding commitment to this noble cause.

For this, we remain grateful as ever.

On its part, Pakistan would continue to extend maximum political, diplomatic and moral support to the people of Kashmir.

We hope our combined efforts would help shake the world conscience and pave the way for the dawn of peace, hope and freedom for the struggling people of Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, Insha Allah!