By Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF)
The General Council of the Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) has demanded an immediate end to the imposition of war hysteria on the people of Jammu Kashmir. A comprehensive record of victims on both sides of the ceasefire line should be compiled, and compensation must be provided for their human and material losses. The state-driven policy of promoting war hysteria in Jammu Kashmir must be abandoned.
All proscribed religious extremist organizations must be banned from operating, and the negative propaganda against those struggling for freedom and revolution must be stopped. JKNSF also demands that the government of Indian-occupied Jammu Kashmir and the Indian imperialist regime immediately cease the demolition of homes, blatant military aggression, and arbitrary arrests.
The cruelty committed against innocent civilians under the guise of counterterrorism must end. All policies designed to alter the demographic structure of Jammu Kashmir under the Hindutva agenda must be halted. The over 83,000 domiciles issued under this agenda should be revoked immediately, and land allotments under imperialist investment plans must be stopped.
The people of Jammu Kashmir must be granted an unconditional and unrestricted right to self-determination, and all foreign forces must withdraw. The ceasefire line should be declared a non-militarized zone, and civilian populations on both sides of Jammu Kashmir must be demilitarized.
The Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) will continue its struggle until the establishment of a united, independent, sovereign, secular, volunteer and socialist federation of Jammu Kashmir and South Asia. These demands were raised at the JKNSF General Council meeting held in Rawalakot, chaired by Central President Khalil Babar. The meeting was also attended by former Chairman of the UK branch, Irfan Yaqoob, as a special guest.
Speakers included Central President Khalil Babar, Azm editor Badar Rafiq, Deputy Chief Organizer Arslan Shani, Chairman of the Financial Board Danish Yaqoob, former central presidents Rashid Sheikh and Basharat Ali Khan, Joint Secretary Anam Akhtar, District Chairman Muzaffarabad Azaan Ali, District General Secretary Bagh Ahsan Zakir, Chairman of the Rawalpindi Branch Israr Shabbir, former Central Committee member Wajid Khan, Chairman of the Study Circle Dr. Saad-ul-Hassan, former Chief Organizer Tanveer Anwar, University of Poonch General Secretary Aliza Aslam, Faizan Aziz, Mahnoor Aslam, Sabia Akhtar, Hanan Babar, Amun Habib, Sharjeel Shah, Muhammad Rizwan, Nouman Mushtaq, Zain Shah, and others.
Speakers emphasized that once again, American imperialism has offered to mediate the Jammu Kashmir issue, a move welcomed by colonial powers and facilitators of the colonial system—yet again attempting to deceive the people of Jammu Kashmir. The Pakistani state and military elite continue to define Jammu Kashmir as a bilateral dispute between two nations, while claiming to support its resolution through the will of the Kashmiri people. Meanwhile, the Indian government remains committed to its false claim of Jammu Kashmir being an “integral part” of India.
For the past 76 years, institutions like the United Nations have misled the people of Jammu Kashmir by portraying this route as the only path to resolution. Labeling the issue as a border dispute between two countries while hypocritically referring to the will of the people is essentially a denial of the Kashmiris’ right to freedom. In effect, there is readiness to hand over Jammu Kashmir to Indian military control but no willingness to recognize the Kashmiri people’s right to freedom.
Similarly, American imperialism views the issue solely through the lens of its imperial and geo-strategic interests. In confrontation with China on different economic and proxy fronts, the United States is once again trying to obscure its objectives behind Jammu Kashmir. No imperialist pathway can lead to freedom for the people of Jammu Kashmir. Every imperialist plan is designed to extend domination, fulfill expansionist goals, and ensure the survival of capitalism—none of which serves the people of Kashmir.
Kashmiris must remember Donald Trump’s so-called solution to the Gaza issue. This fascist representative of American imperialism proposed that Palestinians be expelled from their homeland to pave the way for imperialist investments. Similarly, in Jammu Kashmir, their goal is to enable imperialist domination—this, in their view, is the “solution.”
We believe Jammu Kashmir is not a border dispute between two countries. It is the question of freedom and the right to self-determination for nearly 18 million people. All foreign forces must withdraw from Jammu Kashmir, and its people must be allowed to determine their future.
Every nationality residing in Jammu Kashmir should have the right to decide its future freely—whether individually or in unity with others. If any nationality wishes to make an independent decision, it must be allowed to do so. Restricting the right to self-determination to mere voting, imposing decisions without consent, or offering state-driven solutions between two countries only reinforces imperialist domination in a new form.
We will not accept any such decisions and will resist them on every platform.
We also appeal to the oppressed people and youth of all divided regions of Jammu Kashmir to prepare for a determined struggle against imperialism. Do not become fuel for imperialist wars—raise your voices for your right to freedom.
We firmly believe that the resolution lies in recognizing the independent and sovereign status of all nationalities in Jammu Kashmir and in establishing a united, independent, secular state with a planned economy in the volunteer socialist federation of South Asia. The people of Jammu Kashmir must unite and base their collective struggle on this new social contract.
Central convention of JKNSF to be held in the last week of August; Usman Aziz’s death anniversary on May 24 and a reception on May 31 announced during the central meeting.
