MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, has strongly condemned the Indian government for using the false flag operation in Pahalgam to unfairly target Pakistan and discredit the Kashmiri freedom movement.
He made these remarks during a special session of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Azad Kashmir Chapter, held at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad.
President Chaudhry said the killing of tourists by unknown assailants in Pahalgam was regrettable, but India’s reaction to the April 22nd incident was equally unjustified. He criticised the Indian government’s attempt to raise the issue of so-called “cross-border infiltration” as part of a strategy to malign the Kashmiri people and their rightful demand for self-determination.
He noted that in response to the incident, Indian forces intensified their oppression in occupied Kashmir, launching large-scale raids, detaining over 1,500 people, and demolishing more than 50 homes. “India has failed to crush the Kashmiri freedom movement despite decades of brutality,” he said.
President Chaudhry further accused India of resorting to desperate measures, including the false flag operation in Pahalgam, to link the peaceful Kashmiri movement to terrorism. “Such tactics show that India has run out of options,” he added, praising the unwavering sacrifices of the people of occupied Kashmir.
Calling upon the international community, he urged powerful nations like the United States and the United Kingdom to play their role in easing tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. He stressed that even a minor incident could trigger a major conflict, endangering regional and global peace.
President Chaudhry also stated that Indian conspiracies aimed at damaging Pakistan’s global image and undermining the Kashmiri cause have backfired. “The false flag operation in Pahalgam has instead drawn global attention to the unresolved Kashmir dispute,” he remarked.
He called for a peaceful and results-driven dialogue between India and Pakistan, urging both countries to build trust and move towards a just resolution of the Kashmir issue.
Emphasising unity, the president encouraged joint efforts from the political leadership of Azad Kashmir, Hurriyat leaders, and the Kashmiri diaspora to expose India’s human rights abuses on international platforms.
The Hurriyat delegation, led by Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi, briefed the president on the situation in occupied Kashmir following the false flag operation in Pahalgam.
