Mushaal slams UN for not holding East Timor, South Sudan like referendums in IIOJK
Islamabad: Mushaal Hussein Mullick, wife of the unlawfully incarcerated Chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Yasin Malik, has sharply criticized India’s Independence Day celebrations, labeling the occasion as a “Black Day” for Kashmiris. She highlighted that the day was observed in protest against New Delhi’s ongoing denial of the right to self-determination for Kashmiris and the continuous war crimes perpetrated by Indian forces in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In her statement, Mushaal emphasized that people across both sides of Kashmir and around the world marked Indian Independence Day as a Black Day to send a strong and unequivocal message to the Indian government. She stressed that Kashmiris would never accept New Delhi’s “unjust and tyrannical rule” regardless of the consequences.
A Symbolic Protest and a Global Message
Mushaal, who also serves as the Chairperson of the Peace and Culture Organisation, pointed to the complete shutdown and blackout in IIOJK as a powerful symbol of Kashmiri resistance. The empty streets in Srinagar and other parts of the occupied territory, coupled with anti-India demonstrations in Azad Kashmir, underscored the unwavering rejection of Indian occupation by the Kashmiri people.
She condemned India’s celebration of Independence Day as a blatant display of hypocrisy, arguing that a nation that has usurped the fundamental freedoms of Kashmiris has no moral or legal right to commemorate its own independence. Mushaal asserted that India’s actions were a direct contradiction to the principles of freedom and democracy it claims to uphold.
Criticism of International Inaction
Mushaal’s statement also included a scathing critique of the United Nations and the international community. She accused the UN of double standards, questioning why the world body has not facilitated a referendum in IIOJK, despite the longstanding conflict, while it swiftly organized referendums in East Timor and South Sudan following relatively minor unrests.
“Can’t the UN see how brazenly India has been violating UN Security Council resolutions on the decades-old Kashmir dispute?” Mushaal asked, highlighting the ongoing human rights violations in the region.
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The Hurriyat leader further condemned global powers and human rights organizations for their failure to address the atrocities in Kashmir. She outlined the various forms of repression inflicted on Kashmiris, including mass killings, ethnic cleansing, unlawful detentions of senior Hurriyat leaders like Yasin Malik, the use of pellet guns to blind peaceful protesters, the molestation of women, and the arson of civilian properties. Mushaal also condemned recent attempts by India to alter the demographic composition of the region under its occupation.
Kashmiri Resolve Unshaken
Despite the severe repression, Mushaal expressed confidence that India’s brutal tactics would ultimately fail. She reminded the Indian government that its coercive and fascist policies had not succeeded in breaking the spirit of the Kashmiri people over the past seven decades and would not do so now. She urged the Indian leadership to recognize that the resilience of Kashmiris would eventually lead to their liberation from Indian subjugation.
In her concluding remarks, Mushaal reaffirmed that the Kashmiri struggle for freedom would continue unabated. She called on the international community to take immediate and decisive action to address the ongoing crisis in Kashmir and to support the Kashmiri people in their quest for self-determination and justice.
