India moving to realise fascist ideology: Qureshi to UNSC

APakistan has urged the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting over the "grave" situation in Jammu and Kashmir after India revoked its special status, alleging that the actions "have opened the way" for the BJP government to realise its "fascist policy objective" of changing the Muslim majority state into a Hindu-majority one.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in a letter to UNSC President Joanna Wronecka, alleged that India's "repression in occupied Jammu and Kashmir has intensified in recent months" and "an iron curtain was imposed" on the state "prior to the illegal evisceration" of its special status by the Indian government on August 5.

He said that besides sending away tourists and pilgrims, shutting down schools and colleges, hospitals were advised to prepare for "emergencies".

"India also imposed a complete round-the-clock curfew on the entire occupied territory, cut off all communications and arrested or detained over 500 Kashmiri political leaders and activists", thereby turning the state into "a massive military prison".

Qureshi said there were "credible reports that scores of unarmed demonstrators, men women and children, who breached the brutal curfew, have been killed or wounded by indiscriminate fire by Indian troops".

Echoing what Pakistan Prime Minister Imran AKhan has been alleging in his speeches since India revoked special status of J&K, he said: "It has long been the stated policy of the BJP and its Hindu ideological fountainhead, the RSS, to turn occupied J&K from a Muslim-majority into Hindu-majority territory. The Indian actions of August 5, have opened the way for realisation of this fascist policy objective."

He said "this attempt will evoke strong Kashmiri resistance" and the "anticipated massive repression by India's occupation forces will lead to ethnic cleansing and genocide in occupied J&K", adding that the "UNSC and the international community have the obligation to prevent the recurrence of another Srebrenica and Rwanda (referring to the massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims and of 800,000 Rwandans in 1994).

"The people of j&K have been denied the right to self-determination despite the UNSC resolution recognising this right. "The entire Muslim world recognises this double standard. The world can no longer ignore the fundamental human rights of the people."

He also alleged that Indian forces had used "cluster bombs" to deliberately target Pakistani civil along the border.

Referring to the Indian media, he said "Fake news in India's controlled media mentioning "terrorists" ready to enter occupied Kashmir across the LoC indicate that India's reckless government intends to provoke another crisis with Pakistan, possibly through a "false flag" (covert) operation.

Qureshi said Pakistan does not desire another conflict with India, and recalled the February Balakot incident. Without referring to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 Indian security personnel were killed by a Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed militant, he said that "Pakistan exercised extreme self-restraint in response to India's blatant aggression its aerial attack on Pakistani territory and intrusion into Pakistani airspace."

"In exercise of its right to self-defence, the Pakistan air force shot down two Indian aircraft and captured an Indian pilot AAs a goodwill gesture, the Pakistan PM unilaterally and immediately repatriated the captured Indian fighter pilot."

"Pakistan will not provoke a conflict. But India should not mistake our restraint for weakness. if India chooses to resort again to the use of force, Pakistan will be obliged to respond, in self-defence, with all its capabilities.

"A failure by the international community to reverse the threat to international peace and security created by the Indian government's racist ideology and its arrogant policies as well as actions carries grave implications not only for Pakistan and India but also for the entire world."

( With inputs from IANS )