Masood condemns mass arrests of Kashmiri leaders in IIOJK

He maintained that 0.9 million Indian occupation troops were engaged in the occupied territory

MUZAFFARABAD (Dunya News) – AJK President Sardar Masood Khan on Tuesday strongly condemned the mass arrests of pro-freedom leaders, human rights activists and the youth by the Indian military and paramilitary troops across the Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and called upon the international community to take notice of the vindictive actions of the Indian rulers.

Expressing his sharp reaction over the arrests of pro-liberation leaders Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar, Maulvi Bashir and Abdur Rashid Lone, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Yasin Butt, Jamaat Islami leader Farooq Ahmed Khaki and human rights activist Mohammad Ahsan Untoo, and dozens of political workers and common civilians in Srinagar, he said seeing the courage, patience and firmness of the valiant struggle of the Kashmiri people for the realization of the right of self-determination, the Indian rulers had got frustrated.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) president, in a statement, maintained that 0.9 million Indian occupation troops were engaged in the whole of occupied territory in incarcerating the innocent and peaceful civilians, killing the youth in fake encounters and torturing those protesting against their inhuman acts.

“All the repressive and inhuman tricks of the Indian army are bound to fail, and in spite of all the sufferings and odds, the people of IIOJK will continue the struggle for their freedom and the right to self-determination,” he added.

Welcoming the probe into the Indian Army’s firing on the vehicle of the United Nations Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) close to the Line of Control in AJK, Sardar Masood said while investigating the heinous incident, it must be kept in mind that India had always attempted to keep the UN away from the Kashmir conflict.

“That is why, the UN Military Observers deployed in India and occupied Kashmir are not permitted to independently visit the LoC,” he said. “India also does not like the UN military observers present in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir to reach the LoC and witness ceasefire violations by the Indian Army and send their report to the United Nations.”

He said it could not be ruled out that the vehicle of the UN military observers had been intentionally targeted to prevent them from observing the violations of the ceasefire, and send their report to the United Nations.

“Let it be understood very clearly that the Indian occupation forces’ attack on UN observers (UNMOGIP) was deliberate, with the objective to scare them. The probe should be thorough. Don’t just go through the motions,” he asserted.

He expressed his apprehension that on the persuasion of the Indian government, the Indian nationals working in the United Nations would create hurdles in the investigation of the incident or get the probe buried so as to hide India’s crimes in Kashmir.

“The investigation is just the beginning. The probe should be conclusive. The Indians working in the UN will be used by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) to bury the investigation,” he concluded.