President Zardari rejects legislative assembly polls in occupied Kashmir

President Asif Ali Zardari has categorically rejected the legislative assembly elections in the India-occupied Kashmir (IoK), asserting that the polls were “no substitute for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination”, a statement from the President’s House said on Wednesday.

India-possessed Voting in the first local elections after Kashmir’s special semi-autonomous status was revoked in 2019 began today (Wednesday), much to the indignation of the valley.

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Many in the 8.7 million registered voter Muslim majority area are still resentful of the Hindu-nationalist government led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2019 order to impose rule from New Delhi.

President Zardari made these remarks today at a meeting with IOK migrants, who have been living in Pakistan since 1989, at the Aiwan-i-Sadr, under the direction of Uzair Ahmed Ghazali.

In a statement, it was stated that after welcoming the group, the President denounced the Legislative Assembly elections in [IOK], calling them a component of India’s larger plan to solidify its unlawful control of the area.

Zardari emphasized that such actions could not support India’s occupation of Kashmir or stifle the people’s movement for liberation.

In the statement, he claimed that India was attempting to change the demographic makeup of IOK by making Kashmiri Muslims a minority group and a weak community within their own country.

Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to offering moral, political, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people until their right to self-determination is realized. “Pakistan greatly valued the sacrifices made by the Kashmiri people for their rights and would continue to stand in solidarity with them,” Zardari said.

According to the statement, the delegation informed the president about the horrors occurring in IOK.

It was emphasized that the whole Kashmiri leadership had been put in jail in order to silence the people of Kashmir. The President was also informed by the team about the problems pertaining to the refugees in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

In response to the “illegal steps and atrocities being committed by Indian Occupation Forces in IOK,” President Zardari declared that a protest should be filed.

He declared that Pakistan was dedicated to helping refugees overcome their problems and improve their socioeconomic situation.

He gave the team his word that the AJK administration would be urged to increase the subsistence stipend and offer more aid to Kashmiri refugees.

Additionally, Zardari gave the group his word that 8,000 migrant families will be covered by Pakistan’s social safety net as part of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP).

According to the statement, the team expressed gratitude to the president for Pakistan’s ongoing spiritual, political, and diplomatic support of the Kashmiri people.