-PM gives nod to set up 120 new accountability courts
By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again urged the international community to take practical steps to stop India from using state-terrorism as a tool to destabilize the region and to work for peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people.
“The international legitimacy of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is enshrined in the UNSC resolutions, which are binding. It is collective responsibility of all member states to ensure compliance by India of its international obligations,” the prime minister said in a message on the Kashmir Black Day being observed on October 27.
He said it was the only way durable peace and stability could be ensured in South Asia.
The prime minister condemned Indian illegal occupation and reiterated unwavering support to the Kashmiri people.“For its part, Pakistan will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Kashmiri people and extend all possible support to them until they realize their legitimate right to self-determination,” he added. Imran Khan said the Kashmir Black Day represented a dark chapter in the human history when, 73 years ago, Indian forces had landed in Srinagar to forcibly occupy the territory and subjugate the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The illegal occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir by India represents an international dispute, the solution of which is firmly anchored in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions in accordance with the UN Charter,” he further stressed. The prime minister said despite unabated Indian atrocities for more than seven decades posing an existential threat, India was unable to break the will of the Kashmiri people.
“The international community bears witness that Indian state-terrorism, extra-judicial killing of innocent Kashmiris, unprecedented restrictions in freedom of speech, fake encounters, cordon-and-search operations, custodial torture and deaths, enforced disappearances, incarceration of Kashmiri leadership and youth, use of pellet guns, destruction and burning of houses to inflict ‘collective punishment’ on the Kashmiris communities and other methods of subjugation have failed to shake the resolve of the Kashmiris people in their just struggle for the inalienable right to self-determination,” he said.He said India’s unilateral actions, military siege and communication blockade accompanied by illegal measures to bring about demographic change in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir since 5th August 20a19, exposed yet another dimension of RSS-inspired ‘Hindutva’ ideology. “The dangerous mix of extremist ideology (Hindutva) and hegemonic designs (Akhand Bharat) is imperiling regional peace and stability,” the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, :President Dr Arif Alvi while reaffirming Pakistan’s unflinching support to the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in their just struggle said that this support and solidarity will continue until the Kashmiris achieve their legitimate right to self-determination.
“I would like to assure my Kashmiri brothers and sisters, that we honour their sacrifices and salute their indomitable spirit as we observe this Black Day. We also reaffirm our unflinching support to the people of IIOJK in their just struggle,” he said in his message on Kashmir Black Day being observed on Tuesday (October 27).
The president added that this support and solidarity would continue until the Kashmiris achieve their legitimate right to self-determination as enshrined in the international law, United Nations Charter and the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
He said, “On this day 73 years ago, Indian Security forces landed in Srinagar to illegally occupy the territory and subjugate people of Jammu and Kashmir in clear violation of international law and humanitarian norms.”“On 5 August 2019, India moved to alter the disputed status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and change its demographic structure,” he added.
The president said the illegal and unilateral Indian actions have been rejected by the Kashmiri people, by Pakistan and by the international community for being in violation of international law, relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, and India’s own solemn commitments made bilaterally to Pakistan as well as to the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“For more than a year now, Kashmiris have been prisoners in their own homes, aliens in their own land, and unable to walk freely on their own streets.Over 900,000 Indian occupation forces, holding 8 million Kashmiris, have turned the occupied territory into the world’s largest open prison,” he added.
The president said India’s inhuman military siege, continued blockade, continuing torture and brutal repression and attempts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory, have shown the real face of the Hindutva – driven RSS-BJP regime and its extremist designs.
The international media and human rights organizations continue to document the tragedy of Kashmir as it goes on unfolding, he added. “Despite the horrendous nature and scale of Indian atrocities, and facing the worst form of Indian state –terrorism, the people of IIOJK have demonstrated remarkable courage, strength and resilience. They have proved that India cannot break their will with the use of brute force,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, in order to accelerate the ongoing accountability process and clear the backlog of cases, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday formally approved to set up 120 new accountability courts in the country, citing Ministry of Law and Justice.
According to a spokesperson of the Law Ministry, the prime minister directed to take measures for the establishment of 120 new accountability courts during the federal cabinet meeting today. He said that the new accountability courts will be established in phases, adding that owing to financial issues, the ministry would set up only 30 court immediately.
Earlier on October 21, The Supreme Court had given the federal government a month’s time to decide whether it will set up 120 more accountability courts to clear the backlog of cases. Headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, a bench of the apex court had expressed displeasure over the government when the court was informed that no permanent law secretary had been appointed yet.
The bench had directed the government to appoint a permanent law secretary at the earliest. At the start of the hearing, the SC had inquired about progress thus far made on the establishment of 120 new NAB courts, to which additional attorney general Sohail Mahmood had replied that a plan in this regard had been forwarded to Prime Minister Imran Khan for approval.
