As the overall death toll from the violence rose to 32 on July 12, a senior state administrator said at least 1,000 people have been injured in the clashes in Kashmir, which is India’s only Muslim-majority state, since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed July 8. / AFP PHOTO / SAJJAD HUSSAIN
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday condemned Indian forces’ armed aggression taking 20 lives of Kashmiri youth in Indian Held Kashmir.
A press release was issued by the Foreign Office (FO) that referred to the reports regarding continuous use of brute force by the Indian forces, with the deplorable use of pellet guns against demonstrators in the valley. It added that the internet services had been suspended to repress the voice of Kashmiris against Indian atrocities.
The release stated that India had been denying its role as a state sponsoring and perpetrating terrorism but the inhumane and senseless targeting of Kashmiri youth had revealed India’s ugly side. The forces have been strategically targeting the backbone (youth) of the Kashmiri struggle to shatter their will and spirit of their right to self-determination.
It also said that the continuous efforts of Indian forces to label the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorism will not break the Kashmiri people’s resolve nor could India fool the world by its propaganda of repressing the voice of freedom fighters.
FO pledged moral and diplomatic support to Kashmir’s freedom movement requesting the international community to take notice of the mass violations of fundamental rights, especially the violation of the right to live, by the Indian forces. Pakistan urged the global community to bring an end to the culture of immunity, safeguarding India from accountability of its crimes against humanity.
The press release further added that the international community and keeper of peace United Nations (UN) should work on promoting a lasting solution of the Kashmir conflict with regard to the aspirations of the Kashmiris.
Kashmir has been a lingering dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947; both the countries have fought one another in wars for Kashmir. The area is still a disputed territory, with an ongoing fight by the Kashmiri people for their freedom.