India’s Republic Day Symbolizes Oppression for Kashmiris, Not Democracy: Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan

Islamabad: Former Prime Minister of the Azad Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir and senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, has stated that India’s so-called Republic Day is not a moment of celebration for the Kashmiri people but a stark reminder of decades of repression and denial of fundamental rights. In his special message on the occasion, he said that India’s repeated claims of democracy and secularism stand completely discredited by its actions in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir over the last seven decades.
He remarked that observing a “democratic” celebration while an entire population remains under siege, governed by the barrel of a gun, is a blatant attempt to deceive the international community. India, he added, has persistently trampled upon the fundamental, democratic, and human rights of the Kashmiri people, while simultaneously suppressing the rights of millions within its own borders.
Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan highlighted that the widespread enforcement of draconian laws, prolonged and arbitrary detention of Kashmiri political leaders, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and systematic curbs on independent journalism in occupied Kashmir collectively expose the true nature of India’s rule—one that promotes authoritarianism and fascism under the veneer of democracy. These practices, he said, have rendered India’s democratic assertions empty and untenable.
He further stated that the Kashmiri people have been offering historic and unmatched sacrifices for over seven decades in their struggle for identity, freedom, and accession to Pakistan. Despite relentless oppression, he said, they remain steadfast in their resolve to achieve their internationally recognized right to self-determination in accordance with United Nations resolutions, and will continue this struggle with unwavering determination.
Concluding his message, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan called upon the international community to see beyond India’s projected democratic image and to take urgent cognizance of the grave and systematic human rights violations being committed in occupied Kashmir. He urged global powers and human rights organizations to play a decisive and practical role in ensuring that the Kashmiri people are granted their legitimate right to self-determination.