Tag: Kashmir issue

  • Kashmiri freedom fighter Syed Ali Shah Geelani honoured on first death anniversary

    Kashmiri freedom fighter Syed Ali Shah Geelani honoured on first death anniversary

    People living on both sides of the border and across the globe are observing the first death anniversary of veteran Kashmiri separatist leader and former chief of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

    Marking one year since the great freedom fighter’s passing, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said that Geelani “still remains as relevant to the freedom struggle today as he was in life”.

    In a tweet, the premier said, “Syed Ali Geelani personified the very essence of Kashmiris’ struggle. Frail in body but firm in resolve, he powered the resistance movement with belief in the idea of freedom from Indian yoke.”

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said today he has joined the Kashmiri people “in paying rich tribute to the bravest and most ardent advocate of Kashmir’s freedom struggle”.

    “Geelani sb’s memory will continue to inspire Kashmiris in their quest for a future free from Indian occupation”, he added.

    Earlier in the day, Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also took to Twitter to pay tribute to the veteran Kashmiri separatist leader.

    “Pakistan nation pays tribute to brave Syed Ali Shah Geelani for epic resistance and fight against worst Indian oppression/atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK). His lifelong struggle for right to self-determination as per aspirations of people of Kashmir and UN resolutions shall always inspire generations to come,” the tweet said.

    Former Human Rights Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shireen Mazari said, “Today is the death anniversary of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a symbol of Kashmiri’s struggle against India’s illegal occupation of IIOJK. His suffering along with ongoing persecution and torture of Kashmiri leaders by fascist Modi govt should be remembered before imported govt opens trade with India.”

    The government of Pakistan gave a Nishan-e-Pakistan to Geelani to honour his struggle for the freedom of IIOJK. He was placed on house arrest after August 5, 2019 when the Indian government revocated the special constitutional status of Kashmir. He passed away while still confined to his home.

  • ‘Islamophobia has taken a most lethal form in India’: Noam Chomsky

    ‘Islamophobia has taken a most lethal form in India’: Noam Chomsky

    Renowned Scholar and Professor Noam Chomsky, in a video message to a webinar organised by the Indian American Muslim Council, said that India has turned its community of Indian Muslims into a “persecuted minority”.

    He further said, “The pathology of Islamophobia is growing throughout the West, it is taking its most lethal form in India.”

    Referring to the violence in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK), the famed activist stated that the situation is painful in particular not because of what is happening but because of what is not happening.

    During the webinar on “Worsening Hate Speech and Violence in India,” Chomsky compared the brutal situation of IoK to Israeli forces occupying Palestine and blamed Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist regime for it.

    Several other personalities who took part in webinar condemned the barbarous acts by Indian authorities.

    Angana Chatterji, an Indian anthropologist took a jibe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and stated, “Hindu spiritual leaders are involved in [the] ethnic cleansing of Muslims.”

    According to an Indian author, Annapurna Menon, the situation in IoK is even more dire, where the journalists routinely face police questioning, ban on reporting, suspension of internet services and financial constraints in line with BJP’s recent ‘media policy’.

  • KFC, Pizza Hut, Hyundai under fire in India for pro-Kashmir posts

    KFC, Pizza Hut, Hyundai under fire in India for pro-Kashmir posts

    Major Indian brands are facing calls for ban and boycott by Indian nationalists after the social media handles linked with the brands in Pakistan posted messages of solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

    Some of the major brands that are facing backlash include KFC, Pizza Hut and Hyundai.

    Have a look at the posts that resulted in a backlash:

    A screenshot of a 2021 post from KFC Pakistan expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir went viral on Indian social media.

    A screenshot of an Instagram post of Pizza Hut is also being widely shared. However, it is not clear if the post is from 2022.

    Similarly, a post by Hyundai Pakistan is also being shared by Indian nationalists calling for a ban on the company.

    After the backlash, and calls for boycott, Hyundai India, KFC India and Pizza Hut have issued statements.

    Pizza Hut also issued a statement saying “it does not condone, support or agree with the contents of a post circulating in social media”. 

  • ‘India should stop harassing journalists’: Human Rights Watch

    ‘India should stop harassing journalists’: Human Rights Watch

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released its report to address the unlawful arrest of journalists in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IoK). According to the report, so far at least 35 journalists in IoK have faced police interrogation, raids, threats, physical assault, or fabricated criminal cases for their reporting.

    The recent arrest of Fahad Shah, an editor-in-chief of a leading Kashmir-based news site The Kashmir Walla, has led to condemnation from several journalism organisations including United States (US)-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

    South Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) said, “Instead of ensuring justice for security force violations in Kashmir, the [Indian] government is more interested in silencing those who bring these abuses to light.”

    Ganguly also demanded Indian authorities in Kashmir to release Shah and all journalists, activists, and critics jailed on “politically motivated charges” and stop harassing them with draconian laws.

    Furthermore, HRW has stated a number of journalist names who are behind bars on baseless grounds. Last month, the police arrested another journalist at the Kashmir Walla.

    In September, the police raided the homes of four Kashmiri journalists and confiscated their phones and laptops. Not only this, the Indian authorities give threats to journalists with jail if their work criticises them and pressured them to self-censor, says the HRW report.

    It states that India has placed over 40 people, including 22 journalists, on lists to stop them from travelling abroad.

  • Black day to be observed tomorrow in solidarity with Kashmir

    Black day to be observed tomorrow in solidarity with Kashmir

    Pakistan will observe a black day tomorrow (October 27), to express solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

    Shehryar Afridi, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, presided over an in-camera meeting to discuss preparations for the observance of the Black Day on October 27. Pakistan will protest the Indian security forces’ forceful and illegal occupation of the valley.

    Each year, October 27th is observed as a ‘Kashmir Black Day’ to mark the protest and resentment of Kashmiris around the world in commemorating the forced occupation by Indian security forces of the Jammu & Kashmir valley.

    Read more- PM Imran Khan to address UNGA on Kashmir, Afghanistan issues today

    An analytical report released by Kashmir Media Service said that October 27 is the darkest day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. Radio Pakistan has reported.that on this day in 1947 India forcibly occupied the territory by landing its troops in Srinagar against the will of the Kashmiri people.

  • Syed Ali Geelani laid to rest in Srinagar amid tight security

    Veteran Kashmiri leader and freedom fighter Syed Ali Shah Geelani was laid to rest amid high security at Hyderpora in Srinagar early Thursday morning around 4:30am local time, Radio Pakistan reported. The funeral prayers were attended by close friends and family.

    Syed Ali Geelani’s son told AP that the family had planned the burial at the main Martyrs’ Graveyard in Srinagar as per his will but were disallowed by the police.

    “They snatched his body and forcibly buried him. Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We tried to resist but they overpowered us and even scuffled with women,” said Naseem Geelani.

    AP also reported that the Indian authorities have imposed a near-total communications blackout in Indian-Occupied Kashmir.

    Geelani was the former head of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) but quit politics last year in June. Geelani passed away at his home in Srinagar after a prolonged illness. He had been under house arrest for the last 12 years after leading several anti-India protests. Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Pakistan flag will fly at half mast and “we will observe a day of official mourning”.

  • President Alvi stresses that Pakistan is not against Jews or Christians

    President Alvi stresses that Pakistan is not against Jews or Christians

    President Arif Alvi on Tuesday, in an address to the Second Conference of Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Cooperation Organization (PAECO) countries, stressed that Pakistan is against genocide, not against Jews or Christians.

    “We are against genocide. We are not against Jews or Christians, but against all oppressors of humanity,” said Alvi.

    Alvi further added that Pakistan’s stance on Israel’s violations of human rights was “not anti-Semitic, but anti-Zionist.”

    “We will raise our voices against anyone who resorts to oppression,” the president said.

    He also said that labelling the freedom movement of Palestinians and Kashmiris as “terrorism” by Israel and India was an act of viewing the countries through the “prism of prejudice”.

    The president expressed confidence that the Muslim world would join hands in giving the world a strong message on Islamophobia.

  • Sri Lanka cancels PM Imran’s address to parliament to ‘appease India’: foreign media

    Sri Lanka cancels PM Imran’s address to parliament to ‘appease India’: foreign media

    Sri Lanka has cancelled Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address to its parliament scheduled for Feb 24 after reservations that it could sour ties with India, reported Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Express.

    PM Imran is set to arrive in Colombo on Feb 22 on a two-day visit. He is expected to address the parliament of the South Asian nation during his visit. Pakistani leaders, including presidents Ayub Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, addressed the Sri Lankan parliament in 1963 and 1975. 

    However, days ahead of the address, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had written to the government, seeking a postponement of the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The newspaper reported that the speaker said that he was unable to ensure full attendance in parliament on the occasion.

    Daily Express, quoting unnamed but “reliable” sources, claimed that “sections of the government had reservations about the decision to have the Pakistan prime minister address the Sri Lankan parliament as it could sour relations with India”.

    “The sources believe India might apprehend the Pakistani leader would raise the Kashmir issue in his address,” it reported.

    According to English language daily, the Pakistani Prime Minister is coming to Sri Lanka to strengthen ties with the only South Asian nation with which it has consistently close and good ties. It is undeniable that Sri Lanka-Pakistan relations have been cordial and strong right from the late 1940s when both got independence from Britain.

    Sri Lanka is eagerly waiting for Pakistan’s help to garner the support of Muslim countries in the 47-member UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in which a hostile resolution against it is likely to be introduced in March. The resolution is expected to call for Sri Lanka’s reference to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

  • UN chief urges Pakistan, India to resolve Kashmir conflict through talks

    UN chief urges Pakistan, India to resolve Kashmir conflict through talks

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Thursday called on nuclear-armed India and Pakistan to “come together and seriously discuss their problems” stemming from the unresolved Kashmir dispute, saying his good offices are always available for mediation.

    Replying to a question from APP correspondent Iftikhar Ali at his first press conference in 2021, the UN chief warned that there was no “military solution” to the decades-old conflict.

    “It is clear when seeing Pakistan and India, any military confrontation between the two would be a disaster of unmitigated proportions for both countries and for the whole world,” he warned.

    “I do believe that is absolutely essential to have a de-escalation of the situation, namely in the Line of Control” in the disputed Kashmir region, Guterres said, adding, “I think it’s absolutely essential for the two countries to be able to come together and seriously discuss their problems.”

    “And,” he added, “I think it’s essential that human rights are fully respected in all territories that you mentioned,” referring to the question in which the correspondent highlighted the continuing rights abuses in the Indian occupied Kashmir.

    He said he stood by his statement of Aug. 8, 2019, which called for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute based on UN resolutions and the UN Charter.

    “Now, things have not moved in the right direction, our good offices are always available, and we will insist within it on finding peaceful solutions for problems that have no military solution.”