Activist denounces Pakistan for raking up Kashmir issue amid COVID-19 pandemic

A Kashmiri political activist has denounced Pakistan for raking up the Kashmir issue at a critical time when the whole of the world is fighting COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sunday, Pakistan's Foreign Office made public the contents of a letter written by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to the UN Secretary-General and the president of the United Nations Security Council on March 9 regarding what he described as the "dire" humanitarian situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sajjad Raja, Chairman of National Equality Party JKGBL, said all the sufferings of the Kashmiri people are due to Pakistani involvement in Kashmir and Pakistani sponsored 'Jihad' (holy war) and infiltration.

"It's ridiculous that when the whole world is advising their citizens to stay at homes and self-isolate them in an effort to combat the outbreak of COVID-19, Pakistan is demanding that people in Kashmir Valley should roam free. This is yet another proof that Pakistan has no care for the lives and welfare of the people of Kashmir and she only plays politics to promote her heinous agenda in Kashmir," said Raja.

Sajjad Raja, who hails from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), further said that in Pakistani occupied areas of Jammu and Kashmir very stringent isolation rules have been imposed and Prime Minister of PoJK has even issued a warning that a curfew will be imposed to keep the people indoor, but in Kashmir Pakistan wants people to get out of their homes.

He added, "Theses double standards of Pakistan are now fully exposed and the world pays no attention to Pakistani propaganda."

Sajjad Raja said that there were no human rights issues in Kashmir prior to 1989 when Pakistan started sending in armed militants and 'jihadis' (armed terrorists) into Kashmir Valley from Pakistan and this infiltration turned the Valley into a battlefield between Pakistani extremists and the defenders of democratic and secular values.

He said while Pakistan is writing a letter to the United Nations demanding to end the COVID-19 restrictions in Kashmir, in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Police in Kotli have killed a youth named Zeeshan for violating the restrictions imposed by the government.

Sajjad Raja demanded a full inquiry into the circumstances which led to the death of a youth in Kotli and warned that all police officers involved in the killing of the youth must immediately be arrested and brought to justice.

He said that the police have refused to lodge FIR against the police officers and they are trying to bury the issue.

Sajjad Raja has warned that if the case is not registered against the Kotli police officers for the murder of Zeeshan, the National Equality Party will raise this issue at all international forums and will not let the issue die out.

The political activist said that Pakistan has turned the areas of Jammu, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan under her occupation into a living hell and people have no constitutional, political, democratic, religious, civil and basic human rights there.

"Comrade Iftikhar has been imprisoned for 90 years, Baba Jan for 70 years and their many colleagues for over 50 years only for demanding the financial compensation to the victims of Attabad Lake and Pakistan is demanding to release the prisoners in Kashmir," said Raja.

"These double standards will not prevail anymore and the people of Jammu and Kashmir will never tolerate Pakistani involvement and interference into their affairs," he added.