While paying tribute to the Kashmiri martyrs of July 13, 1931 who were shot dead by the Dogra Maharaja, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that all Pakistanis are standing with Kashmiri in their just struggle and Pakistan will not compromise till Kashmiris get their right to self-determination, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Imran Khan’s statement came as Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and world over observed Kashmir Martyrs Day today to pay homage to martyrs of July 13, 1931.

All Parties Hurriyat Conference has appealed the Kashmiri people to mark the day by a complete shutdown in the in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

It is pertinent to mention that on 13th July 1931, the troops of Dogra Maharaja had killed 22 Kashmiris, one after the other, outside the Central Jail in Srinagar during the court proceedings against one Abdul Qadeer who had asked the Kashmiri people to defy the Dogra Rule. Thus, 22 youth sacrificed their lives till the completion of Azaan.

A march towards the Martyrs’ Graveyard at Naqashband Sahib in Srinagar will also be held today where the martyrs of 13th July were buried.

In a statement in Srinagar, APHC spokesman said that the objective of the shutdown and the march is to convey to the world that the Kashmiris will never accept Indian subjugation.      

In a couple of tweets posted on Tuesday, Imran Khan said that we stood with Kashmiris on Kashmir Martyrs’ Day and paid tribute to 22 Shuhada of 13 July 1931 who were martyred when the Dogra Maharaja's soldiers fired on peaceful protesters. Kashmiris' struggle against tyranny and illegal Indian occupation is steeped in a history of resistance and sacrifice, PM Khan said.

https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1414797431192043521

He further tweeted that this indomitable spirit of resistance remained alive as Kashmiri men and women continued to fight illegal Indian occupation. Pakistan stands with the Kashmiris in their just struggle and will not compromise till they get their right to self-determination guaranteed by the UNSC resolutions.

https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1414797435818369025

AJK President calls UN role on Kashmr ‘disappointing’
President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan has deplored the role of the international community, mainly the UN, in the long-standing Kashmir dispute, calling it “conspicuously disappointing.”

“The UN role in Kashmir has been conspicuously disappointing because practically it has taken a hands-off approach, though they realize Kashmir is the elephant in the room,” Masood Khan said in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency on the occasion of Kashmir Martyrs Day, which is being commemorated across the Line of Control (LoC).

“The US wants the status quo, an option preferred by India, and the European Union is hamstrung. But the citizens of the world can be mobilized. Today, for the Kashmir cause, the streets are more promising than official chambers – bilateral or multilateral,” AJK President said.

By ignoring the Kashmir issue, Khan added, powerful nations which claim to be the custodians of international law are “underwriting impunity for crimes against humanity” in Jammu and Kashmir.

India wants ‘cosmetic’ engagement

Khan, a veteran diplomat who served as Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN from 2012 to 2015, contended that New Delhi is looking for a “cosmetic engagement” with Islamabad for “good optics” following the scrapping of the valley’s decades-long special status.

India “wants to give a false impression that Pakistan is ready to live with the changes India has made since Aug. 5, 2019. But Pakistan has not. Pakistan has made it clear that it would not hold any bilateral talks until it reverses its actions of August 2019.”

Replying to a question about the resumption of long-stalled peace talks India and Pakistan, Khan said bilateral talks in the past on Kashmir have never produced results because India’s sole purpose is to “bury the issue for all times to come.”

“That’s not acceptable to Kashmiris. I see little utility of such talks if the Kashmiris, whose fate is at stake, are not sitting at the negotiating table. The official international community has no desire for playing a role to resolve the issue,” he added.

Referring to the reaction of the international community to India’s actions in August 2019, Khan said: “In the immediate aftermath of New Delhi’s move, influential parliaments and international media called out India and castigated it for its illegal actions.”

“India was held accountable. The UNSC [UN Security Council] also met informally to discuss the perilous situation in the region, and there was a groundswell of support for the besieged Kashmiris. But the momentum frittered away after three months,” he said.

“Now the unfolding tragedy in Kashmir is buried under the heavy burden of the global geostrategic agenda.”

The controversial move, he said, could not even get support from pro-India politicians in Kashmir, and has further bolstered the “legitimacy and appeal” of pro-freedom leaders.

“Even before August 2019, pro-India politicians had completely lost their credibility. The bulk of the captive Kashmiri population saw them as henchmen of Delhi and in fact facilitators of the reign of terror in Kashmir,” he said.

After August 2019, he argued, these leaders were “disparagingly dumped by their masters.”

“India looked for their substitutes but had limited success. These pro-Indian leaders bent over backwards, their blackmailing caveats notwithstanding, to stage a comeback,” he said.

“The Modi government wants to co-opt them for getting their support for illegal demographic changes in the state and delimitation of the constituencies to give more representation to the Hindus in a future legislative assembly.”

On the other hand, he added, the “legitimacy and appeal” of the Hurriyat Conference leaders – Syed Ali Geelani, Yasin Malik, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Asiya Andrabi and Shabir Shah – remains “as strong as ever.”

Kashmiris’ participation

Khan said Kashmiris should be seated at every table that discusses the issue, and should be part of any political or diplomatic process that is initiated on Kashmir.

“Kashmiris should not be pushed to the sidelines as spectators when their fate is being decided. We know they want to join Pakistan. But until they do so, through a referendum, their voice is sovereign,” he said.

Referring to the Ladakh standoff between China and India, Khan observed that the development has made a difference.

India’s “Lebensraum,” he added, has been stopped in its tracks and Kashmir has gained more visibility and prominence worldwide.

“It has, ironically, also accentuated the issue’s complexity and intractability, which suits India. Kashmiris want a solution, not a perennial status quo and the vicious cycle of violence to which they are subjected every day,” he contended.