LAHORE: Ghulam Muhammad Safi, convener of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK), on Sunday warned that India’s policies in Kashmir, combined with growing ties with Israel, are escalating risks for regional stability.
Speaking at a three-day public gathering hosted by Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Safi said the strategies in occupied Kashmir mirror those used by Israel in Palestine, including demographic manipulation, curbs on political freedoms, media suppression, and branding resistance as terrorism.
Safi described these measures as clear violations of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention and the United Nations Charter, and cautioned that they undermine human rights while threatening the strategic balance in South Asia.
He said India has intensified demographic changes, altered electoral boundaries for political advantage, and systematically targeted local leaders and youth, creating conditions ripe for conflict between two nuclear powers.
Highlighting the India-Israel nexus, Safi said both states pursue similar tactics in occupied territories, using advanced military capabilities to suppress local populations.
“The aim is not merely to crush resistance but to maintain permanent control,” he said, urging global institutions, including the UN, EU, OIC, and human rights organizations, to break their silence and hold India accountable.
Safi stressed that Kashmir is not just a bilateral issue but a matter of self-determination, human dignity, and adherence to international resolutions. He criticized attempts to portray the dispute as “internal,” insisting it remains an unresolved international concern.
He called for urgent human rights monitoring, release of political prisoners, restoration of communications, and diplomatic efforts aligned with the will of the Kashmiri people.
Expressing gratitude to Pakistan and Jamaat-e-Islami for ongoing support, Safi said solidarity with Kashmiris has historical, emotional, and religious significance. He urged the Muslim world to unite in addressing oppression in both Kashmir and Palestine, pointing to the shared nature of human rights violations. “Peace in South Asia will remain unattainable until Kashmiris exercise their right to self-determination,” he concluded.
