Kashmiris have to decide about their future through plebiscite: Fakhar Imam
ISLAMABAD: Chairman Kashmir Committee Syed Fakhar Imam on Monday said since Jammu and Kashmir was a disputed area, so the residents of this territory would decide about its future through plebiscite.
“All the units of Pakistan are united on the conflict of Kashmir,” said Fakhar Imam while talking to media following a meeting of the Kashmir committee.
He said India had repealed Article 370 of its constitution to divert the world’s attention from use of cluster bombs in Azad Jammu and Kashmir against innocent civilians.
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The chairman Kashmir Committee said according to the provisions of United Nations resolutions regarding the Kashmir conflict, it was a disputed area and it should be resolved through plebiscite. He said residents of Kashmir were fearless on their stance of freedom.
He said India repealed the Article 370 in violation of international laws. He said a resolution would also be passed in the parliament in this regard highlighting the Kashmir issue. India’s latest move could not make any impact as they would be considered total outsiders to make any such decision, he added.
The Indian government on Monday announced to repeal the special status given to the occupied Kashmir under the constitution’s Article 370, which is feared to spark unrest in the disputed territory.
The announcement was made after massive deployment of additional Indian soldiers by the Indian government and thousands of tourists and Hindu pilgrims had been forced out of the Himalayan valley.
Educational institutes have been closed, public gatherings banned and internet and cellular services suspended indefinitely in the occupied valley. Mainstream and separatist Kashmiri leaders alike placed under house arrest, including former J&K CMs Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah. Residents of the valley had stockpiled essential rations and fuel amid the security crackdown.
