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| February 3, 2003 | Monday | Zilhaj 1,1423 |
Kashmir uprising not terrorism: Qayyum
ISLAMABAD, Feb 2: Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan has condemned Indian malicious propaganda against the Kashmiris’ freedom movement and said the world must realize the difference between terrorism and movements for right to self-determination.
“Indian occupation of Kashmir is in no way justified, and this is a right of Kashmiris to fight for their right to self-determination,” he said in an interview with APP here on Sunday.
“UN Charter also has a provision for launching a movement against occupation and Kashmiris are justified to fight for their inalienable right,” the veteran Kashmiri leader said.
Abdul Qayyum, a stalwart of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, who is also called Mujahid-i-Awal, had been prime minister and president of Azad Kashmir as well as chairman, President’s Kashmir Committee.
He said after the Sept 11 attacks, India had once again propped up its malicious propaganda to get declared the independence movement a terrorist activity.
He said Kashmiris’ miseries were an eye opener for the world community and turning a deaf ear to their calls was posing serious threats to regional peace.
Replying to a question about the UN role in resolving this issue, he said that after the UNSC resolutions it was obligatory upon the United Nations to exert pressure on India for holding a plebiscite in the occupied Kashmir.
“But the situation did not change even after the lapse of more than 50 years,” he said, adding: “It not only shows the ineffectiveness of the UN, but also double standards of the world powers.”
The Kashmiri leader said that if the USSR used to veto the implementation of these resolutions during early days, the European states and other powers also paid no heed to the Kashmir problem.
“World powers have nullified the UN role. It seems that there is no international system in place, and the powerful were usurping the rights of the weaker,” he regretted.
The leader said that even the majority of world powers agreed that terrorism and movement for right to self-determination were two different things. But even then, if they did not come forward to resolve the contentious issues like Kashmir, it would be no service to those suffering atrocities at the hands of occupational forces, he added.
He also called upon the United States to play its due role in resolution of Kashmir issue and not to be swayed by malicious Indian propaganda.
Replying to a question about infiltration, he said in categorical terms that the blame of infiltration or the cross-border terrorism on Pakistan bore no truth. Kashmir was a disputed territory and Kashmiris did not recognize the Line of Control, he added.
“We are not the part of Simla Agreement. We do not recognize the LOC. If India wants to talk to us, it should have no pre-conditions,” the leader added.
“There is no infiltration taking place, and if India claims, so why could not its 800,000 forces stop it,” he added.
Abdul Qayyum said actually India had failed in suppressing the voice of Kashmiris and was trying to exploit the current situation of the region.
About the role of Muslim world, he said that Muslim countries could themselves get the issue resolved by exerting economic pressure on India.
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