News Desk |
Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, on Monday, announced that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will set up a Kashmir media cell, which will be responsible for coordinating with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s central media wing.
Addressing the press at the PTI office on Monday, Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan noted that the Ministry of Information has been obtaining technical support from PTI’s media wing earlier as well.
Kashmir Media Cell
Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan was accompanied by former information secretary Umar Cheema, along with PTI’s Information Secretary, Ahmed Jawad. She said that the social media cell of the PTI has been cooperative with the federal government in establishing a social media wing within the information ministry.
The Special Assistant on Information noted that given that the PTI is the ruling party, it has a responsibility to provide support and assistance to all governmental institutions. Dr. Awan said that the objective behind establishing a Kashmir media cell is to accumulate and disseminate authentic information depicting ground realities in the Indian occupied Himalayan valley.
The Modi administration continues to insist that there has not been a single casualty in Kashmir, international media outlets are reporting the use of teargas, shotgun pellets, pepper spray and other tactics to quell protests
Dr. Firdous said, “The curfew and security lockdown imposed by the Modi-led government has restricted the free flow of information from the occupied valley of Kashmir. Therefore, it is imperative for the PTI government to use the Kashmir Media Cell in the Ministry of Information to collect authentic information and provide it to the Foreign Office, local media platforms and civil society members.”
She added that Prime Minister Imran Khan has succeeded in turning the Kashmir dispute into an international issue, and it is the responsibility of all governmental departments to carry this mission forward.
Dr. Firdous said, “If we don’t speak up now, the international community will never realize the gravity of the human rights violations committed by the extremist Modi-led government in Indian-occupied Kashmir.”
Responding to a question on the special honor bestowed upon Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dr. Awan noted that there have been multiple shortcomings and gaps in Pakistan’s foreign relations during the tenures of the former governments.
Read more: Kashmir: Washington Post Report exposes Modi’s lies
She said, “These gaps in Pakistan’s foreign relations allowed India the opportunity to build inroads, however, we are undertaking counter measures. It will take some time to grasp the original position.”
Modi will be Remember for Atrocities
Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said that New Delhi has humiliated Hurriyat leaders on multiple occasions, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
She said, “Indian forces have no respect for elders, women and children. They use brute force and ammunition to scare harmless and unarmed civilians across the peaceful valley.”
Dr. Firdous noted that history will remember Modi as an aggressor who committed atrocities against unarmed Kashmiri civilians. She said, “While Modi will be remembered for all the violence he is committing against the Kashmiri people, Prime Minister Imran Khan will be remembered as an individual who tried his best to highlight the struggle for freedom and self-determination of the people of occupied Kashmir.”
She observed that Pakistan is undertaking extensive efforts to highlight the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination across the international community, and will soon garner substantial support from global leaders. She said, “In these testing times, the media must be commended for playing a positive role in highlighting the struggle of the Kashmiri people.”
Read more: New Delhi preparing RSS Goons to Massacre Kashmiri Muslims: Shah Mehmood Qureshi
She concluded that the PTI will form its structure at Azad Kashmir by mobilizing the party at district-level across Kashmir. Dr. Firdous concluded that Prime Minister Imran Khan is determined to take the Kashmiri struggle for freedom to its logical end.
The Independent, a UK-based broadcasting platform, reported that several Kashmiri civilians have died during the clashes erupting between the Indian troops and Kashmiri protestors in the wake of New Delhi’s decision to scrape away occupied Kashmir’s special constitutional status.
While the Modi administration continues to insist that there has not been a single casualty in Kashmir, international media outlets are reporting the use of teargas, shotgun pellets, pepper spray and other tactics to quell protests and punish unarmed protesters.
This is why Kashmir is under a Genocide Alert.
When the govt refuses to issue death certificates, it paves the way for enforced disappearances.
Thousands of Kashmiris have been arrested & their whereabouts are unknown.
India must account for every soulhttps://t.co/xAKxJuz15I
— Arjun Sethi (@arjunsethi81) August 26, 2019
Speaking to The Independent, a Srinagar-based doctor, who did not reveal his name, stated that the “hospital staff have received clear verbal instructions from the authorities to keep admissions related to the clashes to a minimum, and to discharge victims quickly, in order to keep statistics down.”
Kashmir has been under military occupation for 20 days.
*thousands arrested, including children
*hundreds injured & some blinded by pellet guns
*communication blockade
*crushing curfew
*journalists banned
*food & medicine shortageIndia, the world’s largest democracy, in action
— Arjun Sethi (@arjunsethi81) August 25, 2019
Relatives of the three deceased during the clashes informed The Independent of their frustration over the denial of doctors to issue death certifications, as that would require the doctors to formally acknowledge the aggressive force used by the Indian troops during the clashes.