Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar Criticizes India’s Actions in Occupied Kashmir

Islamabad:Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has condemned India’s intentions to alter the demographic balance in occupied Kashmir and its attempts to undermine the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people.

Addressing a Kashmir Solidarity Day rally in Islamabad, Ishaq Dar stated that India’s actions taken five years ago were unconstitutional. He criticized India’s move as being against United Nations resolutions and international charters, arguing that the amendment to India’s constitution regarding occupied Kashmir was a violation of international law.

Dar emphasized that India’s delusion that it could revoke the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination would not be accepted by the international community. He asserted that the Shahbaz Sharif government is advocating the cause of the Kashmiri people globally and urged that if India claims to champion democracy, it should allow international bodies access to occupied Kashmir.

He further accused India of attempting to reduce the Muslim majority of occupied Kashmir to a minority and reiterated Pakistan’s deep, both regional and religious, bond with Kashmir. Dar asserted that Kashmir is Pakistan’s “jugular vein” and would eventually be integrated into Pakistan.

Additionally, Dar highlighted that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has appointed a representative to address Islamophobia, and Pakistan has also voiced support for the rights of Gaza’s residents.

It is important to note that on August 5, 2019, the Modi government in India revoked Article 370 from the Indian constitution, stripping occupied Kashmir of its special status and effectively splitting it into three regions while dismantling its statehood.