War is no solution to Kashmir issue

Islamabad : While advocating Indo-Pak dialogue on Kashmir conflict, former Jamaat-i-Islami MNA Aisha Syed has warned that Indian Premier Narendra Modi’s bid to stoke war hysteria would lead to the World War-III.

“Indo-Pak war is no solution to the Kashmir issue and instead, peace should be given a chance. However, the issue will stay put if the international powers don’t pressure India into making sincere and tangible moves to resolve it in line with the UN resolutions,” the former lawmaker told ‘The News’.

Aisha Syed, who is her party’s deputy general secretary, said Indian Premier Narendra Modi’s bid to whip up war hysteria over Kashmir issue threatened world peace as it would lead to the World War-III.

She said the Pakistani government should strongly advocate the voice of freedom-seeking Kashmiris at all international forums.

“Special Kashmir desks should be set up at all Pakistani foreign missions, while the prime minister should appoint a deputy foreign minister to work for Kashmir cause only,” she said.

The JI leader resented the violation of human rights in the occupied Kashmir especially after the region’s recent illegal annexation by the Modi government and complained that the unprecedented lockdown had paralysed life in the region for around a month.

“Suspension of trade and closure of educational and health centres coupled with telecoms blackout has turned the life of our brothers and sisters in the held Kashmir really miserable. They fear a major health crisis as the drug supplies are running out. Terminal patients and those needing emergency treatment are worst hit by the lockdown,” she said.

Declaring the silence of the international community, especially Islamic countries and rights organisations, on Kashmir crisis ‘really agonising’, the JI leader said the Indian move to strip the occupied Himalayan region of its autonomous status had made a total mockery of the 23 resolutions passed by the United Nations on the issue from time to time.

“Soon after India illegally annexed Kashmir, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation should’ve called the heads of Islamic states and governments to the Islamic Summit to ensure the reversal of New Delhi’s move and protection of the rights of Kashmiris but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. All this shows the callousness of the Islamic world’s rulers,” she said.

Aisha Syed said India had unilaterally broken the Simla Accord it had signed with Pakistan by changing the special status of the occupied Kashmir.

“The revocation of Article 370 of India’s Constitution by the BJP government is meant to turn the Muslim majority in the occupied Kashmir into a minority to seek electoral win. It won’t serve the purpose and rather, it will help intensify the freedom struggle,” she said.

The JI leader said the Indian occupation forces totaling over 0.9 million had killed 0.35 million people, raped 14,500 women, and detained hundreds before subjecting them to brutal torture in the occupied Kashmir but they won’t be able to subjugate the residents.

While accusing the PML-N and PPP governments of being involved in the Kashmir ‘sell-out’, she came down hard on the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for ‘continuing with old policies’ on the conflict and said the government’s response to the Indian annexation of Kashmir was just eyewash.

She said the Jamaat-i-Islami was the only political party, which had advocated the Kashmir cause within the country and abroad in the real sense of the term, and it would continue doing so.

Aisha Syed flayed the unconditional release of many Indian prisoners of war by Pakistan, including Indian air force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman captured in February this year after his aircraft was shot down by a Pakistan Air Force jet, and said such captives should’ve been used a bargaining chip to further Kashmir cause.