Srinagar, February 05 (KNO) : The pro-freedom leaders including Hurriyat Conference (G) Chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Chairman, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai on Tuesday thanked Pakistan for extending support to Kashmiris in their struggle. Geelani thanked Pakistan for observing “Kashmir Solidarity Day” to highlight the ‘oppression and suppression’ against the people of Jammu and Kashmir at the hands of forces.
Expressing gratitude to Pakistan, its people, leadership of Azad Kashmir and the people across the globe, who organize demonstrations, symposiums, seminars and rallies in favor of people of Jammu & Kashmir for their right to self-determination and highlight dispute and the gross human rights violations being perpetrated by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir, Geelani said that “people in Jammu and Kashmir are challenging a big power and Pakistan is the only country that acknowledges our right to self-determination and extends its persistent support.”
Geelani in a statement issued to KNO said that “we are highly thankful to Pakistan for their categorical support and we hope Pakistan will play more effective and active role in this regard. They should activate all its embassies and other human resources to highlight Kashmir issue and human rights violations in an operative method.”
“Although Indian atrocities and barbarism has crossed all the limits and is continuing unabated for the last 7 decades, it is responsibility for the UN to realize the gravity and severity of this grave and grim situation,” he said. He said that “this world body has testified out stand that armed forces under the undemocratic and unethical shield of legal impunity continue the genocide of Kashmiris with bullets, pellets, torture, rape and humiliation.”
Geelani appealed UN rights body to take serious note of this brazen denial of facts and pressurize India to abide by the universal obligations and fulfill long pending UN resolution on Jammu and Kashmir to pave a way for permanent peace and prosperity.
Meanwhile, On the occasion of observing February 5 as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’, Hurriyat (M) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed his gratitude to the people, government and leadership of Pakistan for their unconditional and unflinching support to the political movement of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the right to self-determination.
According to a statement issued to KNO, Mirwaiz said the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Hurriyat Conference has always appreciated the support of Pakistan, at all levels, be it diplomatic, political or moral for the past seven decades, despite difficult and testing times for the country itself. “We also appreciate the Government of Pakistan and its leadership who has always extended all possible support to our political movement for the resolution of Kashmir dispute,” Mirwaiz said.
Mirwaiz added Pakistan being one of the main parties to Kashmir issue has always played a frontal role at both regional and international level in highlighting the suffering and grave human rights abuse of Kashmiris as well as presenting the Kashmir dispute in its historical context. Commenting on the completion of 26 years in prison of Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Mirwaiz said that the State has been following a revengeful policy against Dr Qasim in violation of all principles of humanity and justice.
Mirwaiz said that there many instances where prisoners awarded with life sentence have been released after completion their term but in the case of Dr Qasim, even after completion of his sentence he continues to be jailed in outside prisons, which is against ‘all principles of justice’.
“There are scores of prisoners like Dr Qasim who even after completion of their sentences are serving illegal detention for their political belief and who have completed more than two decades in prison,” Mirwaiz said, adding that “detention period of these prisoners being deliberately prolonged on one or the other pretext is sheer state vendetta.”
Meanwhile, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Chairman, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai also thanked Pakistan government and entire political leadership and its people, media and literary fraternity, political, social, religious bodies and the Pakistani and Kashmiri people living across the world on behalf of whole Kashmiri nation including Tehreek-e-Hurriyat for providing moral, political and diplomatic support to the just struggle of Kashmiris.
“We express immense gratitude to them for exhibiting solidarity with their oppressed Kashmiri brethren,” Sehrai said in a statement issued to KNO. In his message on the occasion of February 5, which Pakistan observed as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’, Sehrai said, “The JK has always appreciated the support of Pakistan, at all levels, despite difficult and testing times for the country itself.”
Sehrai has called for a proactive approach of Pakistan to facilitate freedom for inhabitants of Indian held Kashmir. “Surge in the frequency and intensity of atrocities committed by India against children, youth along with citizens in general, without any discrimination in terms of gender and age, demanded that a result oriented approach must be adopted,” he said. He said Pakistan must go for a multi-pronged approach utilizing each and every forum to pressurize Indians to quit Kashmir forcefully occupied by them for decades.
He said observing the ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ on February 5, by Pakistan, “Azad Kashmir”, Pakistani and Kashmiri people across the world is “encouraging and praiseworthy” and said Pakistan’s contribution and support to Kashmiris’ movement is “exemplary”.(KNO)