Mushaal further criticized India’s move to bring diplomats to IIOJK under the guise of being election observers, claiming they were neither qualified nor authorized to play that role.
Mushaal Hussein Mullick, Chairperson of the Peace and Culture Organization and wife of incarcerated Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik, has written to diplomats from 85 countries, exposing what she calls “sham elections” in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). In a press conference, she highlighted the manipulation behind the polls, accusing India of staging a fraudulent electoral process in the region.
Mushaal disclosed that the Kashmiri people have overwhelmingly rejected the elections, with an extremely low voter turnout reported in key areas like Srinagar, Budgam, and Ganderbal, despite India’s issuance of over 4.1 million domiciles to non-Kashmiris since 2019. She alleged that India is artificially inflating voter numbers by granting these domiciles to settlers, while the actual Kashmiri population continues to boycott the polls.
She further criticized India’s move to bring diplomats to IIOJK under the guise of being election observers, claiming they were neither qualified nor authorized to play that role. She pointed out that independent international organizations like CNN, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch were barred from monitoring the elections. Mushaal also recalled a similar incident in 2020, where a European delegation was brought to IIOJK in a visit reportedly funded by India’s intelligence agency, RAW.
According to Mushaal, India‘s efforts to project normalcy in IIOJK are failing, as evidenced by the deployment of additional 3,000 Indian troops and 500 commandos in the region. She described the region as a “prison,” with political leaders, activists, and civil society members jailed, while the Indian Army has been given unprecedented policing powers.
Mushaal warned that the world cannot recognize these elections as legitimate and cautioned that failure to hold India accountable for its actions could lead to a renewed wave of resistance in IIOJK. She also drew comparisons to Nazi Germany in the 1930s, saying that India has become immune to international criticism.
In a broader geopolitical context, Mushaal condemned the recent Israeli airstrike in Lebanon that reportedly killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, calling it a dangerous escalation. She urged global powers to push for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further conflict in the Middle East.
Mushaal also responded to remarks made by India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar at the UN, where he criticized Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir. She labeled India the “biggest state sponsor of terrorism” in the region and accused it of hypocrisy in addressing global audiences on counterterrorism efforts.
She concluded by calling for international intervention to prevent a looming conflict in South Asia and to rein in rogue states that threaten global peace.
