ISLAMABAD: As the entire nation observed black day in support of the people of India-held Kashmir on Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan asked his Indian counterpart to hold a referendum in the occupied valley to ascertain whether the people there agreed to his [Narendra Modi’s] move that changed the status of the region for the so-called “welfare” of Kashmiris.

In his address to the nation in connection with the black day, Mr Khan ruled out the possibility of any ‘action’ from Pakistan against India, but vowed to continue moral, diplomatic and political support to the people of held Kashmir.

Mr Khan also met leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) at the Prime Minister Office and assured them that Pakistan would continue to raise the issue of Kashmir at all international forums.

Imran assures APHC leaders of continuing to raise the issue at global forums

“Those who are insisting that jihad should be waged in [held] Kashmir or Pakistani troops should be sent there or arms should be taken in hands are in fact enemies of Pakistan and Kashmiris,” he said, adding that India itself was trying to find ways of how to malign Pakistan through a propaganda and divert attention of the whole world from Kashmir.

The prime minister again feared that India could stage a Pulwama-like incident and hold Pakistan responsible for it to intensify tyranny against the innocent Kashmiris. “Indian government is looking for excuses to unleash military power on the Kashmiri people and holding Pakistan responsible for unrest in [held] Kashmir to hide from the world what is being done in Kashmir by Indian troops. Modi’s government wants to crush the Kashmiri people using his false claim of any military support from Pakistan,” he added.

Prime Minister Khan said he and the nation would continue moral, political and diplomatic support to the people of Kashmir until they were given their due right to self-determination under United Nations resolutions.

“I am an ambassador, a spokesman and an advocate for Kashmiris and have raised the issue of Kashmir at different international forums, including the recently held UN General Assembly,” he said, adding that because of his speech at the UNGA and meetings with US President Donald Trump and leaders of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, the issue of Kashmir had come to the limelight.

He said that on Oct 27, 1947, India had illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and on Aug 5 this year, it took further steps to unilaterally alter the disputed status of the territory and change its demographic structure and identity.

Highlighting some facts from history, the prime minister said that 30 years ago rigged elections were held in occupied Kashmir and, therefore, the people of the valley stood against them and were crushed by Indian armed forces. “Since the start of freedom movement, more than 100,000 innocent Kashmiris have been martyred and despite the passage of resolutions by the UN, India deceived Kashmiris by not giving right to self-determination to the people of held valley,” he said, adding that the Indian government had stationed 900,000 army personnel in the occupied region not against terrorists but to terrorise innocent Kashmiris.

He said Indian Prime Minister Modi had claimed that he had changed the status of held Kashmir for the betterment of its people, but all political parties had rejected his claim by not taking part in the recently held local government polls there.

The Indian government had on Aug 5 stripped occupied Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status and imposed curfew and communications blackout which continued till date. Despite Imran Khan’s series of visits to different countries and raising his voice in the UN, the world has so far not insisted Indian in an effective manner on lifting the curfew and communications blackout in the held Kashmir.

Meanwhile, a number of rallies and public meetings were held on Sunday in different parts of the country and Azad Jammu and Kashmir in connection with the black day. According to the media, some protest demonstrations were also reported from across the Line of Control in Indian held Kashmir.

In his meeting with the APHC leaders, Prime Minister Khan assured them that the entire Pakistani nation was morally, diplomatically and politically supporting the Kashmiris.

The APHC delegation included Nisar Mirza, Mohammad Hussain Khateeb and Javed Iqbal.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2019