PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly unanimously urged the international community on Wednesday to play its due role in resolving the Kashmir issue in line with the relevant United Nation Security Council resolution.

The house passed a resolution for the purpose during a special session, which was called to express solidarity with the people of the India-held Kashmir on the completion of one year of the Indian government’s move to revoke the special constitutional status of their territory.

The resolution was moved by law minister Sultan Mohammad Khan and opposition ANP’s Khushdil Khan. Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani chaired the session.

“This house strongly condemns the Indian government atrocities against the innocent Kashmiries by Indian occupation forces in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir which continued without break killing and torturing, kidnaping and illegal detention, blockage and lockdown,” read the resolution.

The house also condemned the illegal occupation of Kashmir and India’s efforts to merge the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir with it against the will of the people of the region.

It flayed the Modi government for imposing draconian laws in the held Kashmir to suppress the residents.

The assembly condemned the one-year long curfew in India-held Kashmir and illegal detention and maltreatment of men, women, youth, elderly, journalists and politicians, and communications blockade in the region.

“This house salutes and expresses complete solidarity with the people of illegal Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir and their poplar spontaneous and peaceful protest against the illegal occupation of Indian government,” reads the resolution.

The house also rejected the Modi government’s illegal move to annex the occupied Kashmir with India and urged the international community to make efforts for the implementation of the UNSC resolution, which guarantees the the people of Kashmir an alienable right of self-determination.

It condemned the reversal of the special status of the held Kashmir under Articles 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution and rejected the illegal grant of Kashmir domiciles by the Indian government to non-Kashmiris declaring it an illicit bid to change the demographic profile of the region.

The assembly demanded of the United Nations to take effective steps for the implementation of the UNSC resolution and take all diplomatic steps to highlight atrocities of the Modi government in the occupied Kashmir.

The speaker established the Kashmir Committee of the house to work for the Kashmir cause. He will head the committee comprising both treasury and opposition members.

Earlier, almost all lawmakers and ministers participated in the debate on the illegal annexation of Jammu and Kashmir with India.

The chair adjourned the session until Friday.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2020