Kashmiri leaders declare Indian court decision 'black stain' on democracy
Pakistan
Indian apex court endorses revocation of Kashmir's special status
MUZAFFARABAD (Muhammad Aslam Mir) – Leaders from across the Line of Control (LoC) have condemned the decision of India’s Supreme Court, terming it a ‘black stain’ on the so-called democracy in India.
The Indian apex court on Monday upheld the abrogation, declaring that Article 370 of the Constitution was a temporary provision (arrangement) and the decision to end the special status of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir was constitutional.
The Modi government had in August 2019 abrogated Article 370 and 35-A, stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its special status.
The apex court, in its judgement which was earlier reserved in September, stated that Occupied Kashmir was an integral part of India, which had not attained internal sovereignty after joining the Union (India).
Commenting on the development, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Shah Ghulam Qadir said the Kashmiris were expecting the decision. He pointed out that the court’s verdict exposed the diverse society of India, which, after this decision, had been completely overpowered by Hindu extremists from the highest judiciary to the Prime Minister's Office of India.
“The people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) had not merely given matchless sacrifices for any kind of statehood since 1947 until now, but they have one and only prime target, which is the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions in the IIOJK,” Qadir said.
He added, “This decision sends an open message to the Kashmiris across the globe that nobody in India is ready to give them a political breathing space. Instead, the Kashmiris should now focus on the international community and present their case to expose Indian state terrorism in the IIOJK.”
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq called the decision “biased”. He said such verdicts would not keep the Kashmiris away from their struggle for their political rights.
“The case of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is simple. We demand the world community to provide us the right of self-determination as per the UN resolutions,” Haq added.
Former AJK law secretary Farhat Ali Mir said that despite disappointment over the Indian apex court’s verdict, the Kashmiris must continue their legitimate political struggle to secure their birthright, guaranteed by the UN Charter, without any discrimination and territorial limitations under the universal declaration of human rights.
“Neither the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A done through the presidential order nor the recent decision of the Indian court has negatively impacted the rightful struggle and dispensation accorded to the Kashmiris under the UNSC resolutions which should be implemented in letter and spirit,” Mir said, urging the Kashmiris to continue their mission.
Former AJK Legislative Assembly member Pir Ali Raza Bukhari termed the decision a joint consensus of the Modi government and the Supreme Court to push the minorities to the wall. “The decision is totally against the spirit of the global justice system, showing that the judges have turned the apex court into a Modi court.”
Dr Bukhari added that the Kashmiris across the LoC must be aware and raise their voices at the global level for the implementation of the UNSC resolutions.
All-Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Altaf Ahmad Bhat said that every Kashmiri was aware of the verdict. He emphasised belief in the UNSC resolutions that provided the foundation for the political struggle of the Kashmiris, which, according to him, must continue until the day of the plebiscite.
