Staff Reporter
Islamabad
President Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Masood Khan has said that there is colonialism in the territories of the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine and the people of both regions feel for each other. He said the oppressed people of Palestine and IOJK both are struggling for an end to atrocities and ascertaining their legitimate right to self-determination.
The AJK President made these comments on while addressing a webinar titled ‘Kashmir & Palestine: The destruction of indigenous cultural heritage’, organized by Centre for Middle East & Africa (CMEA), Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad in collaboration with the Middle East Monitor (MEMO).
The event was also addressed by Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, Founder and President Palestine Land Society; Ms. Mushaal Hussein Mullick, Kevin Chamberlain, Former Deputy Legal Adviser, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office & the Palestinian Authority; Dr. Salma Malik, Assistant Professor, Quaid-e-Azam University, Dr. Mahmoud Hawari, founder member of Oxford Palestine Solidarity Campaign; and Dr. Khuram Iqbal, Assistant Professor, National Defense University, Islamabad
Sardar Masood Khan said that while the Palestine issue enjoys widespread support, especially in Europe and it has also been granted observer status in the UN; but Kashmir, despite, being a fault line between the two nuclear states has yet to garner the full attention of world capitals.
The AJK President also highlighted the 10 stages of genocide defined by Dr Gregory Stanton of Genocide Watch. He added that Kashmir is at stage 8 and India is preparing for the stage of extermination. The final stage (stage 10) is ‘Denial’; and India will deny all these events by claiming that their efforts were aimed at the betterment of the Kashmiris and the development of the territory.
He said that Dr Gregory has himself said that the regime of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ‘all the hallmarks of an incipient Nazi regime’. This, he said, accentuates our claim that whatever India is doing is a repeat of Nazism in the garb of Hindutva.
Highlighting the definition of genocide according to Article II of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide: ‘…acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group…’, he said, this is precisely what is happening in Palestine and IOJK.
He said that the doctrine of Hindutva is spearheading the genocide in IOJK and the dolus specialis or the key intent is the cleansing of the territory from all Muslims, as they think the Muslims are ‘impure’.
President Khan also highlighted the massive demographic change carried out by India in IOJK.
