AZAD JAMMU AND KASHMIR: The leadership of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) vehemently criticized Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent comments inviting AJK residents to join India.
AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq dismissed Singh’s remarks as “ridiculous rhetoric” and called on Indian leaders to allow the people of the disputed region to determine their future independently.
Singh had made the controversial statement at an election rally in Ramban, suggesting that AJK residents should join India, asserting that they are considered “our own” in India, unlike in Pakistan where they are regarded as “foreigners.” His comments followed a statement by Additional Attorney General (AAG) Munawar Iqbal Duggal, who had described AJK as a foreign territory.
In response, Haq accused Indian politicians, particularly those associated with the Hindu nationalist BJP, of making audacious statements despite their hands being “stained with the blood of innocent Kashmiris” on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC). He highlighted numerous human rights abuses by Indian forces, including mass rapes, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances, especially since 1989.
Haq pointed to the discovery of over 8,000 unnamed mass graves in the occupied Kashmir Valley as evidence of the brutality faced by Kashmiris under Indian occupation. He condemned India’s military aggression along the LoC, which has led to civilian casualties and significant destruction.
He urged Singh and other Indian officials to feel remorse for their actions in Kashmir and to focus on ending the illegal occupation. Haq called on the Indian government to respect the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination and to withdraw its forces from the region, allowing Kashmiris to decide their political future in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
The AJK premier also praised the Pakistan Army as a protector of the people, contrasting it with the Indian Army’s reputation among Kashmiris. He urged the international community to hold India accountable for its actions and support a UN-sponsored plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.
