LONDON: British Pakistani businessman and community leader Tarab Raja has said that the western world has recently woken up to the reality of Black Lives Matter but it also needs to pay attention to the ‘Kashmiri Lives Matter’ campaign that has been going on for a long time.
In an interview with The News and Geo, the campaigner said that killing of George Floyd in America has infused new sense and rationality into worldwide movements for rights and the issue of Kashmir should feature at the top because Kashmiris -like other victims of historic genocide, racism and discrimination – have been suffering at the hands of Indian occupation for nearly seven decades, without any relief and justice in sight.
Tarab Raja said: “It’s absolutely despicable the way Kashmiris have been treated by the Indian occupation government. The revocation of Article 275 effectively denied humanity and identity to Kashmir and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did it in absolute violation of local and international laws. In comparison, people in Azad Kashmir are living a free life of dignity and respect and enjoy complete freedoms. That’s the reason why Pakistan all the time invites international observers to visit AJK at their free will while India has turned Kashmir into an open prison of seven million people, where no free international media or observers are allowed.”
Tarab Raja said that he has family members living in both Azad Kashmir and Indian occupied Kashmir and they have shared with him how Indian occupation army not only rapes, kills and terrorises Kashmiris in the occupied area but also terrorises civilians in Azad Kashmir through violation of the Line of Control.
“This simply means that Modi wants to kill all Kashmiri Muslims to impose a Hindutva supremacist rule in the occupied Kashmir. He believes in the genocide of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and anyone else who doesn’t support his Hindutva extremist worldview.” Raja said that the British government ministers and leaders of the west have expressed support for Black Lives Matter but unfortunately they have said nothing about the lives of Kashmiris who get similar treatment on a daily basis, going on for decades, from the Indian occupation forces. “Kashmiris are humans too. Their lives matter too. The UK, the EU and other western governments must break their silence and speak about Kashmiris and condemn Modi.”
Tarab Raja said that the western societies have for the first time found, since the outbreak of Covid-19 four months, that what it means to live under a lockdown but Kashmiris have lived under Indian lockdown for decades and more than 100,000 lost their lives to Indian terrorism and there has not been a squeak in the world.
Raja called on international campaigners for justice and peace to raise voice for Kashmiris and show international solidarity with the most suppressed people on this earth, in the Indian held Kashmir.
“I request the campaigners to actively seek to change this and stand up with Kashmiris. If what’s been happening in IOK would have happened anywhere else, there would be an outcry.”
The British Pakistani community leader said that Pakistan Army has done a phenomenal job in the region as well internationally despite hostilities from India at all levels. Pakistan’s military has done a brilliant job to bring peace in the region and to make the world a secure place. “Thousands of Pakistani security men have embraced martyrdom in the fight against terrorism. The Pakistan army has to face Indian aggression at the border and elsewhere all the time. Indian army resorts to killings and firing on a daily basis at the border areas and the international community must take notice of this. Pakistan Army is loved by its people for what it does to protect them and to protect others against aggression.”
Tarab Raja said that recent confession of the Muttahidaa Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Muhammad Anwar to Geo News that Indian funded MQM’s operations showed the kind of threats Pakistan faces from India. “It’s an open secret that India funding terrorism inside Pakistan and the PTI government must take up the issue internationally,” Tarab Raja said. Tarab Raja said that under PMLN’s government, overseas Pakistanis invested a lot in Pakistan but that’s not happening anymore because of the worsening economic situation of the country. He said that economic policies of the current government must change to attract investment from overseas.