ISLAMABAD: The joint session of Parliament on Thursday unanimously condemned the life imprisonment awarded to Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik by an Indian court.
The resolution was tabled by Federal Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada in the session, which was being chaired by National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
The resolution said the House condemned the abhorrent attempt of the Indian government to deprive the Kashmiri people of their true leadership – a blatant violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It said the struggle for the right to self-determination in the occupied Kashmir was indigenous and could not be dampened by the draconian strong-arm tactics of the Indian government.
Besides asking the government for taking immediate steps on the matter, the joint sitting urged the international community to ask India to drop all fabricated charges against all political leaders of the occupied Kashmir, including Yasin Malik, and ensure their safety and well-being.
The resolution said the Indian government should arrange a meeting of Yasin Malik with his spouse Mushall Mullick along with his 10-year-old daughter.
Opening debate on the resolution, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said the Pakistani nation always stood by their Kashmiri brethren and supported their right to self-determination to get freedom from India which was illegally occupying Jammu and Kashmir.
On May 25, he said an Indian court awarded life imprisonment to Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik, which was highly condemnable and needed to be taken up at all international forums, including the United Nations in an effective manner.
He viewed that Pakistan Tehreek–Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan should have postponed the long march due to Yasin Malik’s case and joined hands with the nation to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir and the family of the detained Hurriyat leader.
Act of brutality
Senator Raza Rabbani said India made another chapter of ‘brutality’ by awarding a sentence to Yasin Malik in a fake and fictitious case.
He said it was unfortunate that instead of expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir, the wife and daughter of Yasin Malik on May 25, the PTI staged a violent long march against the government diverting the world’s attention from lawlessness in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
He said there was the need for sending a strong message to the world, especially India by forging a greater national unity and expressing solidarity with the people of IIOJK to immediately halt the massive human rights violations being committed there.
Commenting on the PTI’s long march, Raza Rabbani said it was the responsibility of the executive to tackle the participants of rallies and protests, and all state institutions should work within their constitutional ambit.
Other resolutions
Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif said both the Senate and the National Assembly had already passed two separate resolutions, expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir and condemning the arrest of Yasin Malik.
He added the issue was being debated in a joint sitting of the Parliament that reflected how serious the issue was for the Pakistani nation.
He said India had turned the whole IIOJK into jail and let a reign of terror to suppress the indigenous struggle of the people of Kashmir they launched for their legitimate right to self-determination. He said it was strange that India was committing genocide in the occupied Kashmir and the whole civilized world kept mum on it.
He said it was the double standards of the international community that they remained silent on the issues related to the Muslims, and otherwise, they remained active.
Minister for Communications Mufti Asad Mehmood said the people of Kashmir were facing increased suppression due to the ineffective policy of the PTI government. He said Imran Khan should have expressed solidarity with the Kashmiris instead of holding the long march.
He said Pakistan would extend all possible support to the people of IIOJK struggling to get freedom from the occupation forces. He stressed the need for collective and sincere efforts to tackle the challenges confronted at national and international levels.
“Dreadful” verdict
Senator Yusuf Raza Gilani said the family of Yasin Malik had been seeking support to raise voices for the release of the detained leader but the country witnessed turmoil due to the PTI’s long march.
He said Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had rendered sacrifices for the cause of Kashmir and effectively taken up the issues of Kashmir and Palestine at international forums.
He paid tribute to Hurriyat leaders for advancing their indigenous movement for freedom from India’s illegal occupation and
Terming the Indian court verdict ‘dreadful,’ he asked the champions of human rights to play their due role and people of their right to self-determination in line with the resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council. “We extend solidarity with the people of Kashmir by all means.”
