It would seem that the people of the erstwhile undivided Jammu and Kasmir,across the line of control, are beginning to get aware of the double-speakinherent in Pakistan's right of self-determination rhetoricthat is aimed at India and the J&K under it.
In their latest joint communication to the UNCHR, the Jammu Kashmir NationalStudents Federation (JKNSF), Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party (JKNAP) &Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) have condemned "the terrible,unethical and non-democratic situation in Pakistani occupied Kashmir (AzadKashmir) brought about by the Government of Pakistan with the help of Pakistan Army,secret agencies and the local police against the nationalist candidates andtheir supporters in the deliberate genocide of basic human rights of Kashmiripeople."
According to them, "more than a hundred nationalist Kashmiris have beenarrested, tortured and dishonored in Pakistani Occupied Kashmir. This is thesecond time that the candidates of pro-independence Kashmiri organizationssubmitted their nomination papers for forth coming election in Azad JammuKashmir Legislative Assembly, but the office of the Election Commissioner hasrejected all the nomination papers, just because the nationalist candidates has refused the black Azad Kashmir Constitution Act 1974, par 7 (2) imposed bythe Government of Pakistan in 1974."
Their letter to the President of UNCHR adds:
"It is the gross violation of Kashmiri's human & political rights.We believe in the complete independence of Jammu Kashmir and it's our realnational emancipation.
"This black act has limited our right of freedom even right of vote. Theact is "No person or political party in Azad Jammu Kashmir shell bepermitted to propagate against, or take part in activities prejudicial ordetrimental to the Ideology of the State's Accession to Pakistan".
"While, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article No. 19."Every one has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this rightincludes freedom to hold opinion without interference and to seek, receive andimpart information and ideas through any media and regardless offrontiers."
"And the UDHR Article No.21: "Every one has the right to take partin the Government of his country, directly or through freely chosenrepresentatives."
"Your Excellency, Are these Articles not applicable and valid for thepeople of Azad Jammu Kashmir? Are Kashmiri people not living in this Universe?Are Kashmiries not Human beings?
"According to a news agency "ONLINE" Pakistan has decided toappoint one hundred thousand Army in Azad Kashmir at the occasion of so calledAssembly Election. Beside this other paramilitary troops will be present thereat the name of security.
"We appeal to you to persuade Pakistan and so called Azad Jammu KashmirGovernments to omit this act, release the arrested people and accept thenomination papers.
"We appeal to persuade India & Pakistan to stop the violations ofHuman & Democratic Rights of Kashmiri people and persuade them to accept theComplete Independence & Secular set-up of Kashmiri nation.
Defining Kashmiriyat
In a recent communication, KAC chairman Mr.Mumtaz Khan has pointed out thatwhen General Musharraf supposedly invited "Kashmiri" political partiesfor consultations before his visit to India, the invitation was limited to onlythose political parties of Azad Kashmir which are Pakistan sponsored and preachpro-Pakistan ideas.
All nationalist political Parties of Azad Kashmir were neglected and theentire Gilgit Baltistan Area of 28,000 miles was overlooked.
According to Mr. Khan, the above is a clear indication that Pakistan is notsincere in any just solution nor willing to accommodate the aspiration of itsheld part of people.
If Pakistan had lived up to the rhetoric it has been charging Indianoccupation with, and if it had treated the entire State of Jammu&Kashmir asdisputed, Mr. Khan argued, it would have invited all political parties ofdifferent political shades including Gilgit Baltistan .
Mr.Khan said that Pakistan has been blaming India and/or Farooq Abdullah butIndia, in contrast, has consulted all political parties including pro-Pakistanand pro-independence ones while Pakistani regime has set the worst example byonly calling their puppet organizations and excluding all pro-independenceparties. Even their own puppets were not invited from Gilgit Baltistan, headded, saying that by implication, Pakistan does not consider Gilgit-Baltistan adisputed territory.
Mr. Khan argued that Pakistan Regime has been using the term right ofself-determination only to exploit the innocent people and mislead theinternational opinion. If Pakistani rulers had believed in right ofself-determination it would not have denied the people of Gilgit Baltistan theright to vote and the nationalists from so-called Azad Kashmir from contestingelection.
Mr.Khan said that Pakistan rulers should not misread and underestimate thepolitical aspirations of the people of its controlled part of Kashmir and GilgitBaltistan. And if Pakistan establishment persists with such mistakes it mayforce the people to raise against Pakistan.
Mr. Khan added that Pakistan has separated the Gigit Baltistan area from itscontrolled part of Kashmir under the dubious "Karachi Agreement" in1949 -- which, interestingly, one of its supposed signatories, present Presidentof the so-called Azad kashmir, Sardar Ibrahim Khan has denied having signed.
Yesterday's Elections in 'AJK'
According to Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front's spokesman and publicitysecretary, Hafiz Amwar Samawi, almost 65% people did not turn up to cast theirvotes to support the call given by the JKLF. This, he says, is a vote ofconfidence in favour of the JKLF ideology and a stepping stone towardsachieving the right of self determination and not to accept the accessionformula under any circumstances.
Samawi said that the figures given by the biased election Commissioner do notmean anything. " The world has been watching the election drama for thelast month where hundreds of the JKLF candidates and supporters have beenarrested and put in jails along with the chairman of the organisation, Mr AmanUllah Khan," he added.
Mr Samawi, Mr S M Afzal, the senior vice chairman of the organisation, ZafarSharif, joint secretary of UK Zone, and their colleagues condemned the bogus andbiased elections and called upon the international community to take immediatesteps to eliminate the violation of the basic rights in Azad Kashmir.
Mr Samawi also said that the people of Azad Kashmir have, at this criticaltime of the freedom struggle, proved to be patriotic, freedom lovers andrejected the bogus democratic process of the so called biased elections. He said that people of Azad Kashmir were protesting and were on strikes even onthe day of elections and will continue to do so untill the JKLF members arereleased.
In the meantime the head of the Diplomatic front of the JKLF, ZafarKhan, and his colleagues have taken urgent steps by contacting theinternational human rights organistions, Amnesty International, The UK foreignoffice and the UK parliamentarians to take notice of this and take immediatesteps to secure the release of their Chairman and the members of the JKLF.
