The Institute of Regional Studies, in collaboration with the Youth Forum for Kashmir, organized a seminar in Islamabad, shedding light on the ongoing atrocities faced by Muslims and other minorities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and India. The speakers emphasized the widespread repression carried out by Indian forces in IIOJK. They highlighted continuing arrests and torture of innocent civilians, including young people, during raids by Indian troops, and condemned the harassment of women, children, and the elderly.

They said that since 1989, over 11,000 Kashmiri women have been victims of molestation, while dozens are still languishing in jails across India and IIOJK on trumped-up charges. The seminar also addressed the economic oppression of minorities in India, which the speakers linked to the Hindutva government's deliberate strategy of marginalization.  Muslims, Dalits, Sikhs, and other minorities are witnessing their businesses, homes, and properties being demolished with bulldozers, their assets forcibly seized, and their livelihoods destroyed.

They pointed out that Muslim government employees are being dismissed on various pretexts, exacerbating their economic vulnerability.  The suspension of cross-Line of Control trade has further fueled frustration among Kashmiri youth.  The speakers also drew attention to the growing unemployment crisis among Indian youth, which has reached alarming levels.

They strongly condemned the actions of extremist Hindutva organizations such as the BJP, RSS, and Bajrang Dal, which continue to target Muslims, with full support from Indian Prime Minister Modi's Hindutva-led government. A recent example of such discrimination, they noted, was the attempt to block Muslim students' admission to the Vishno Devi Medical College in Katra, Reasi.

Despite having cleared the NEET exam on merit, these students were targeted by Hindutva groups determined to prevent their enrollment, exposing their larger anti-Kashmir agenda. Among those who spoke at the seminar included Jauhar Saleem, President of the Institute of Regional Studies, Hurriyat leader Shamim Shawl, political leader Dr. Shazia Sobia, Director of Rifah Institute of Public Policy Dr. Rashid Aftab, and journalist Farukh K Patafi.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)