ISLAMABAD: The political leadership of the country on Monday reiterated that the people, government, political parties and the armed forces of Pakistan were firmly united in supporting the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination, as guaranteed to them in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
The All Parties Conference (APC), held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, condemned the unprovoked Indian aggression and ceasefire violations. According to a joint communiqué released after the conference, representatives from across the political spectrum also rejected the Indian government’s claims that Kashmir was an integral part of India. The leaders called for coordination on national security efforts, and urged reconstitution of the national security committee of parliament.
The APC condemned the killing of 110 innocent Kashmiris, including women and children, and blinding of more than 700 people by the use of pellet guns by Indian forces during the last 87 days.
Terming it a grave violation of human rights and international humanitarian laws, the joint statement said that unprovoked Indian aggression and repeated ceasefire violations were a threat to regional peace and security. “We reject Indian efforts to shift the focus from its brutal atrocities to suppress the indigenous uprising of the Kashmiri people for liberation from Indian occupation, to false claims of terrorism across the LoC,” it read.
Deploring the continued use of draconian laws against Kashmiris and recurring curfews in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK), the APC said it had aggravated the miseries of the local population in clear violation of all international human rights conventions.
The meeting took strong exception to stated intent by India to use water as a weapon against the people, not only of Pakistan but also of the region, in flagrant violation of its international treaty obligations. “Any Indian attempt at unilateral revocation of [the] Indus Waters Treaty shall be taken as an act of aggression,” read the statement.
The APC also condemned India’s documented interference in Balochistan, besides attempts to destabilise Pakistan, as substantiated by the capture and confession of serving Indian naval officer from RAW, Kulbashan Yadav.
The political leaders regretted Indian designs to scuttle all diplomatic efforts for bilateral and multilateral dialogue, including the refusal to engage constructively at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) forum.
The APC also rejected the “ludicrous Indian claims” of carrying out ‘surgical strike’ across the LoC as “blatantly false and brazen attempts at diverting international attention away from its atrocities” in IHK. The joint statement welcomed the decision of the UN high commissioner for human rights to send a fact-finding mission to IHK, and extended full support to a similar mission announced by the OIC.
The party leaders and representatives appreciated the courage, valour and commitment of successive generations of Kashmiris for their ongoing struggle for self-determination as promised to them by the international community in UN Security Council resolutions. The meeting applauded the bravery and unwavering commitment of the armed forces of Pakistan “for their befitting response to Indian aggression”.
The joint statement mentioned Pakistan’s unprecedented war against terrorism and violent extremism, and reiterated the resolve to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) in letter and spirit, as agreed to in the last APC. The political leaders called upon the premier to strengthen national unity to deal with external threats, and stressed that in the same spirit, all current national issues be resolved so as to build democratic and parliamentary inclusion. The APC finally reiterated its resolve to stand resolute and united in the face of external aggression and all threats to regional peace and security.
