ISLAMABAD: Azad Jam­mu and Kashmir (AJK) Pre­sident Sardar Masood Khan noted with satisfaction that the international community and media have broken their silence by criticising barbarism and atrocities in held Kashmir perpetrated by the Indian government and security forces.

Talking to journalists on Sunday, he said the world had been raising voice against Indian “secular colonialism, bloodbath and genocide” of oppressed Kashmir people.

The AJK president said that Pakistan was continuously supporting the Kash­mir cause diplomatically, politically and morally and China, Turkey, Iran, Malay­sia and other countries of the world were endorsing Islamabad’s stance on Kashmir issue.

He said that Pakistani leadership was exposing the “awful face of fascist” prime minister of India before the international com­munity, Indian politicians, members of civil society and its people who were condemning Narendra Modi’s “hegemonic designs”.

Replying to a question, the AJK president denou­nced Indian firing at the Line of Control (LoC) and termed it violation of the ceasefire agreement (bet­ween Delhi and Islamabad) and said: “The unprovoked firing by India is an attempt aimed at diverting the world’s attention from its internal situation.”

The ceasefire violations and the targeting of civil population along the LoC by Indian was a cowardly act, he said, adding that the uprising across India following the passage of so-called Citizen­ship Amendment Act had bewildered the Indian premier and his cronies.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2019