Karachi: Former Ameer of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Azad Kashmir and head of the party's Kashmir Affairs wing, Abdul Rashid Turabi, has said that India committed 'constitutional terrorism' on August 5, 2019, by revoking Articles 370 and 35-A, which had granted special constitutional status to occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at the Karachi Press Club, Abdul Rashid Turabi said the move had opened 'a new chapter of oppression' and turned the valley into 'the world's largest prison'. He called on the federal government to appoint a deputy foreign minister to act as a focal person on Kashmir affairs, tasked with making it clear to the world that Pakistan, as a party to the dispute, would support the struggle for self-determination on all fronts.
The press talk was attended by Karachi Press Club Secretary Sohail Afzal Khan, Treasurer Imran Ayub, Joint Secretary Muhammad Munsif, governing body members Mona Siddiqui, Qazi Yasir and Muhammad Farooq, PFUJ (Dastoor) Secretary A.H. Khanzada, KUJ (Dastoor) President Nasrullah Chaudhry, and a large number of journalists.
Abdul Rashid Turabi said Kashmiris had been fighting their own battle for over seven decades and had, on several occasions, come close to achieving freedom. 'However, due to international conspiracies and weaknesses in our own governments' strategies, these opportunities were lost,' he remarked. He said the Kashmir dispute, once a simple issue, had been deliberately complicated through a conspiracy involving India's Congress party, Britain and Maharaja Hari Singh. The 2019 move by New Delhi, he added, was its 'final strike', but the struggle for freedom continued.
According to Abdul Rashid Turabi, 34 Kashmiri women are unjustly imprisoned in Tihar Jail under false charges of treason, while the front-line Hurriyat leadership remains incarcerated. He said both young and elderly Kashmiris are engaged in a peaceful struggle, and claimed that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had sought to install a Hindu as chief minister of Srinagar - a plan foiled by Kashmiris. He maintained that Pakistan's position had recently improved, citing the armed forces' success in Operation Bunyan al-Marsus and the government's firm narrative, which, he believed, would strengthen the freedom movement. 'Every good news from Pakistan boosts the morale of Kashmiris, while any bad news dampens their spirits,' he said, adding that Pakistan should restore the effective role of the 'base camp' for the movement.
He stressed that enhancing Pakistan's diplomatic influence would further fortify the Kashmir cause. Reiterating JI's commitment, Abdul Rashid Turabi said the party would continue to provide moral and diplomatic backing to the people of Kashmir, and that the sacrifices of martyrs kept the movement 'alive and vibrant'. He demanded the lifting of the ban on Jamaat-i-Islami and Hurriyat leaders.
Hurriyat leader Nazir Qureshi also addressed the gathering, briefing participants on ongoing diplomatic efforts to highlight the Kashmir issue in the United Kingdom and other international forums. He said the struggle would continue 'as long as even one Indian soldier remains in Kashmir'.