MUZAFFARABAD: Kashmiri activists paraded through a major thoroughfare here on Tuesday to condemn the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to occupied Jammu and Kashmir and make it clear that cosmetic measures in the name of so-called development could not placate their struggling brethren across the divide.

The demonstration was held under the aegis of Pasban-i-Hurriyat Jammu Kashmir (PHJK), an organisation of post-1989 migrants from Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, on the bustling artery amid inclement weather.

Its participants who were holding banners chanted slogans like “Go Modi Go Back” and “Killer Killer, Modi Killer” as they marched from Garhi Pan Chowk to the district headquarters complex.

”Narendra Modi must be held accountable for war crimes in Jammu and Kashmir,” read one of the banners.

Prominent among those who led the rally were PHJK chairman Uzair Ahmad Ghazali, his deputy Usman Ali Hashim, Muzaffarabad’s Mayor Syed Sikandar Nisar Gilani, former president of Press Club Sohail Mughal and some other representatives of Kashmiri refugees.

Speaking on this occasion, Mr Ghazali said the Indian premier wasdesperately trying to install his extremist party’s government in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and unjust delimitation to give more seats to non-Muslims and issuance of illegal domicile certificate to Indian citizens and their state sponsored rehabilitation were among a slew of illegal and arbitrary steps to achieve this nefarious goal.

“He [Modi] is directly responsible for thedreadfulwar crimes committed in occupied Jammu and Kashmir over the past nine years by the occupational machinery and activists of fanatic organisations,” he said.

He pointed out that Mr Modi’s government had incarcerated more than 43,000 Kashmiris over the past five years in a failed bid to crush the ongoing popular resistance movement in the occupied territory.

“If Mr Modi thinks that the Kashmiri people will accept India after being divested of statehood, identity and homeland at his hands, he is gravely mistaken,” Mr Ghazali said, adding that Kashmiris could never forget the wounds inflicted on them by India over the past 76 years.

He said that after the unilateral Aug 5, 2019 move, India had been taking one after the other step to consolidate military occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and construction of a network of roads, tunnels and railway tracks was its part.

“Neither this development has anything to do with the amelioration of Kashmiris nor will it change their opinion about India because they know it’s meant for augmenting India’s military might to perpetuate illegal occupation of their motherland.”

Mr Hashim said that India had been stealing natural resources of Jammu and Kashmir, including lithium, wood, water, electricity and precious minerals apart from depriving the local population of all available means of livelihood.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2024