THE award of death penalty to prominent Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik by an Indian court on drummed up charges has sent shock-waves among just-minded people across the globe as voice of an iconic personality is being silenced as part of the Indian strategy to eliminate all dissent and perpetuate its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
It is a mockery of the Indian justice system that a leader who has been engaged in a peaceful struggle to get right of self-determination for his people is being put behind bars on fabricated charges of terrorism.
People of Pakistan stand in solidarity with Kashmiris at this critical juncture of their history when every conceivable effort is being made by the Modi Government to wipe out Kashmiri Muslims both physically and economically.
Pakistan has always supported the legitimate cause of Kashmiri people, which has the backing of the UN Security Council resolutions and it firmly believes no action, repression and illegality can change the disputed nature of the region.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rightly asserted that India can imprison Yasin Malik physically but it can never imprison the idea of freedom he symbolizes.
Life imprisonment for a valiant freedom fighter will provide fresh impetus to Kashmiris’ right to self-determination as Kashmiris are fully resolved to carry forward their mission at all costs.
Yasin’s was a high profile case but there are thousands of other instances where Kashmiris were silenced through sham trials or eliminated physically through staged encounters.
India, no doubt, has the brutal force to implement its agenda but it must realize that legitimate freedom struggles cannot be suppressed through illegal actions and murder of justice.
How can you subjugate an entire nation for a long time when they are determined to throw away the yolk of slavery?
We believe mere condemnation is not enough and the issue should be raised by Pakistan and also by Kashmiri Diaspora throughout the world at all available forums to expose India’s claim of being the largest democracy and a champion of human rights because human rights in India are meant only for the majority and not for Muslim or other minorities.
