India’s August 5 actions strategic miscalculation, says ex-CJCSC

ISLAMABAD: The Indian actions of August 05, 2019 in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir were a strategic miscalculation, which opened the door to “all options” on the table.

This was stated by General (R) Zubair Mehmood Hayat, former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the guest of honor, at a webinar organized by the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS) on the topic of ‘Post-August 5, 2019 Illegal Indian Actions: Dynamics, Implications and Options’ on August 04, 2021.

General Hayat further stated that these illegal Indian actions have made Kashmir pivotal to the global power competition and has solidified Kashmir’s position as a nuclear flashpoint. He said that Pakistan should press the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take strong collective action against India’s blatant violations of its legal obligations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.

President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan stated that Kashmir’s demography has already changed and the purpose of Indian government is to turn Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) into Hindu Rashtra. He further stated that Indian authorities are committing crimes against humanity and it is the duty of the international community to take note of these Indian actions.

Air Marshal Masood Akhtar (retd), former Deputy Chief of the Staff (Training), Pakistan Air Force, stressed the need to make Kashmir an issue of vital national interest, a model of economic well-being, consider according it provisional provincial status and regard Kashmiris as stakeholders in the negotiations.

In his concluding address, Air Marshal (retd) Farhat Hussain Khan, Deputy President, Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS) and former Vice Chief of the Air Staff, paid rich tributes to the courage and strong will of the Kashmiris in keeping their hopes and resolve high, in their just and resolute struggle for independence from Indian occupation, despite growing human rights violations and atrocities by the Indian government and forces.

Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan also emphasized the fact that Indian oppression and tyranny against the Kashmiris in particular and minorities in general, as part of RSS-driven BJP agenda, proves that India is no longer a secular state. Furthermore, BJP government is trying to take away the identity of Kashmiris, commit and hide the Indian war crimes, deprive the Kashmiris of their rights and properties and also subject them to major economic losses. He also stated that the illegal Indian actions have badly damaged the Kashmiri economy and added to their misery and sufferings. The renowned speakers also highlighted the changing context, framework, character and nature of the Kashmir dispute, which has made it as pivotal to the great power politics and raised its international stakes. This was followed by a vibrant question and answer session, which led to a rich and substantive discussion on the subject.