AJ&K president says India can’t deprive Kashmiris of their right to self-determination

MUZAFFARABAD: President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Masood Khan on Friday said India could not deprive Kashmiris of their right to self-determination.
“The war has been initiated by India and we would culminate it. The armless Kashmiri nation is fighting Indian forces in the heavily militarized region,” Masood Khan said.
He said the people of Azad Kashmir welcomed army chief’s statement on adopting a courageous stance and they also appreciated Pakistan Air Force and Navy for their preparedness against the enemy’s misadventure.
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The AJ&K president said freedom and self-determination was Kashmiris’ right and it ran in their blood. “Nobody could deprive us of our right,” he said.
He said Pakistan had fought six wars for gaining self-determination of Kashmiris. Pakistan had continued diplomatic and political efforts for Kashmir, he maintained.
On Sept 5, the Amnesty International India had launched a worldwide ‘urgent campaign’ in a bid to highlight the human rights violations and curfew in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The draconian communication blackout in (Indian-occupied Jammu and) Kashmir is an outrageous protracted assault on the civil liberties of the people of Kashmir, said the Amnesty International India as it launched a global campaign today in a bid to highlight the human cost of the lockdown.
“The blackout has now been a month old and cannot be prolonged any further by the Indian Government as it has grossly impacted the daily lives of Kashmiri people, their emotional and mental well-being, medical care, as well as their access to basic necessities and emergency services. It is tearing families apart,” said Aakar Patel, head of Amnesty International India.
The Indian government has imposed a curfew and communications blackout in the occupied Kashmir for about a month to avoid a violent reaction on repealing the special status for the valley.