Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to deeply thank ESAM for organizing this event on the Kashmir Black Day and for inviting me along with other distinguished speakers.
Today the Kashmiri people and Pakistanis all over the world are commemorating 27th October as a Black Day to express solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
On this day 74 years ago, Indian forces landed in Srinagar to occupy and oppress the innocent people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in a blatant violation of international law.
This day marked the beginning of a long night of oppression for the Kashmiris under Indian occupation, and a grave human tragedy that continues to this very day.
India’s entire claim lies on the dubious “Accession” instrument purportedly signed by one man on behalf of millions of his subjects, whose validity is itself highly questionable from factual and legal standpoint.
Since then, IIOJK has become the most militarized zone in the world, where close to 900,000 security forces have been deployed by India to curb the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris for their inalienable right to self-determination.
These military deployments are in breach of Security Council resolutions as well as bilateral agreements. The sheer size, deployments and repressive actions of the Indian forces in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir amount to foreign and colonial occupation.
India’s occupation forces have committed massive human rights violations, widely known to international community. These violations have been documented by international media as well as in two reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2018 and 2019.
Pakistan has also compiled and published a comprehensive dossier on 12 September this year on Indian Human Rights Violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In the past few years under the BJP rule in India, human rights violations in IIOJK have reached epic proportion, which have been covered in the dossier. It includes accounts of 3,432 cases of war crimes identifying the units and personnel of the Indian Occupied Forces, which have committed these crimes. The documented crimes include torture in custody, collective punishment, violence against women and children, enforced disappearances and killings, use of pellet guns and cluster munitions etc. The perpetrators of these crimes enjoy state patronage and are shielded by sham system of justice. The Government of Pakistan also published audio and video evidence (which is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Last month, the people of Jammu and Kashmir as well as people of Pakistan deeply mourned the passing away of the iconic leader of the Kashmiri resistance, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, under prolonged house arrest in the IIOJK.
His house arrest till his last breath without any charges was not the only condemnable thing. After his death, a heavy contingent of the occupation forces raided his residence in Srinagar, harassed family members and snatched Syed Geelani Sb’s body.
The government of India was afraid of Geelani sb during his entire life. They were even more scared of what he stood for even after his death – so terrified that they resorted to this inhuman act after his passing away, which is clear violation of Customary International Humanitarian Law and Geneva Conventions.
It certainly did not make any difference – as Geelani Sb continue to live in the hearts and minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Just a couple of days ago, we saw how Srinagar erupted in spontaneous celebrations on the streets after Pakistan’s victory against India in the World Cup.
India may continue to deny the Kashmiris their right to plebiscite enshrined in the UNSC Resolutions, but it cannot extinguish the fire that burns in the hearts of every Kashmiri.
India must recognize that no amount of brutalization of Kashmiris can suppress their voice and the legitimate movement to achieve their inalienable right to self-determination. Nor will India’s illegal and unlawful actions, including the ones taken on 05 August 2019, be able to mislead the world into accepting India’s false narrative against the Kashmiris.
Jammu and Kashmir dispute is an unfinished agenda of the partition of the Indian subcontinent, which must be resolved in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions for sustainable peace and security in South Asia.
At the end, I would like to profoundly thank the government, the different political parties of Turkey, including the Saadet Party, the think-tanks of Turkey like ESAM, and the people of Turkey for always standing with their brethren in Jammu and Kashmir. This strong principled support from your side is a source of strength for the people of Jammu and Kashmir during darkest of times.
This support is also a benchmark for the international community to meet. The international community must fulfill its moral and legal obligation by giving Kashmiris the chance to realize their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with UNSC resolutions.
I would like to thank the organizers once again for holding this event and for inviting me.
Thank you.
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