LAHORE: Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Barrister Sultan Mahmood has demanded that the international community impose sanctions on India as it is involved in committing barbarism against the people in the occupied Kashmir.

       Speaking at Meet The Press programme at the Lahore Press Club on Sunday, Barrister Mahmood claimed he had sped up his efforts at international forums and planned to stage a massive Kashmiris’ protest demonstration outside the United Nations on Sept 25, when India premier Narendra Modi would arrive to address the General Assembly.

       “All the preparations have been made and permission has been taken to stage the protest demonstration,” he said.

       Barrister Mahmood said the ever-increasing pressure of the Kashmiris would ensure that India would no more be able to suppress them.

       Plans to protest outside UN during General Assembly session

       He said he was planning a tour next month to raise the voice for the Kashmiris at the international forums and European parliaments.

       The AJK president stressed that the foreign policies of Pakistan and the AJK should be made more robust as problems were piling up with the US calling India its strategic partner. He said India’s democracy and secularism had been exposed as even minorities and different sections of society were standing up against the government from within India.

       Answering a question, Barrister Mahmood said the AJK had no contacts with the Taliban because any outside interference changed a noble cause of jehad into terrorism. “The Kashmiris are doing indigenous struggle and will continue to do so to get the attention of the international community,” he said.

       The AJK president regretted that Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Geelani died while being under house arrest and added that he was not buried as per his wish and cases were registered against his family members. “This should serve as an eye-opener for the international community,” he said.

       Barrister Mahmood said the AJK was doing legislation to offer the right of vote to the Kashmiris living around the world so that they could come and make investments in the AJK for the benefit of people. He said the AJK cabinet committee had begun working on fine-tuning the Ehtesab Act and it would hold local government election to devolve power at grassroots level.

       Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2021