Indian aggression a futile attempt to divert from Kashmir issue: AJK president

MUZAFFARABAD: President Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, has strongly condemned Indian aggression, calling it a futile attempt to distract global attention from the unresolved Kashmir issue.

Speaking to international media on Wednesday, Barrister Sultan stressed that, given the volatile regional situation, friendly nations needed to step forward and play an active role in resolving the Kashmir dispute, a root cause of decades-long unrest in the region. He stated that India’s reckless attack had once again turned Kashmir into a flashpoint and emphasised that lasting peace in South Asia was inescapably linked to a just and honourable resolution to the Kashmir issue.

Condemning India’s imperialistic designs, the President said the overnight assault on the civilian population revealed India’s true face. “India’s attack on unarmed civilians and places of worship has fully exposed its ugly face before the world,” he said.

He praised Pakistan’s armed forces for their swift and decisive response, noting, “The befitting reply may have caught the Modi government off guard.” He added that the Indian government must not forget that Pakistan’s forces remain ever-prepared to confront any aggression and that the people of Azad Kashmir stand with them in any situation.

Highlighting India’s intensified human rights violations in occupied Kashmir, Barrister Sultan said the Modi government had escalated its brutality under the pretext of the Pahalgam incident.”Since then, over 4,000 Kashmiris have been arrested, and more than 2,500 homes demolished”, he added.

Regarding the expulsion of Kashmiri students from Indian universities, the President announced that Azad Kashmir’s universities were ready to accommodate these students by providing them with all necessary facilities. He also paid tribute to the people of Kashmir for their enduring struggle for freedom. “It is their sacrifices that have brought global attention to the Kashmir cause,” he remarked.

Calling India’s presence in the region a threat to peace, Barrister Chaudhry urged the international community to act decisively to help resolve the Kashmir dispute in line with United Nations resolutions.

Deploring the Indian state’s dichotomy in its approach, he said that while it projects itself as a secular democracy, it continues to oppress Muslims and other minorities. Citing India’s involvement in transnational killings, he said the country under Modi’s rule has emerged as a “state sponsor of terrorism” on the global stage.