MUZAFFARABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan warned India on Sunday against changing the demography of occupied Kashmir in a serious breach of Geneva Convention and declared that Pakistan would raise this issue at all international forums.

Speaking at a big election rally in Mirpur, from where his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party’s regional president Barrister Sultan Mahmood is taking part in the July 25 elections, the PM paid rich tribute to the Kashmiris for their dauntless struggle to overthrow India’s illegal occupation of their motherland and said their patience, perseverance and sacrifices would soon bear fruit.

“It is the Almighty’s promise to the believers that there is relief after every adversity. And Allah willing that day is not far [for Kashmiris] because India has exhausted all options of atrocities.”

Taking exception to India’s attempts to resettle outsiders in held Kashmir, Mr Khan emphatically observed that India would fail. He recalled that when India decided to strip held Kashmir of its special status it was under an impression that Pakistan would keep mum like the past when “no one from Pakistan would say a word when the Kashmiris were blinded with pellet guns and subjected to extrajudicial killings”.

Quoting a former foreign secretary as saying that the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif had ordered that India would not be criticised, he recalled that Mr Sharif did not meet All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders during a tour to India “lest [Indian prime minister] Modi take offence to it”.

He said Mr Modi’s misunderstanding that Pakistan would silently digest its Aug 5, 2019 move on held Kashmir was because previously Pakistani leaders would give priority to their Kursi (rule), properties, businesses, bank balances outside the country and money laundering and remain quiet.

However, PM Khan said, he was a different person, not fearing anyone and having a firm belief that life and death and livelihood was in the hands of the God.

He said he felt proud that after almost five decades he had raised the Kashmir issue across the world, including United Nations Security Council, fulfilling his childhood desire to fight the case of brave Kashmiris at international forums.

He said while raising the voice of Kashmiris everywhere he told the world that the RSS- led government in India was Hindu supremacist which did not consider people of minority communities equal citizens.

That was why Mr Modi believed the Kashmiris would surrender before his oppressive policies, he said, and added: “I salute to the brave Kashmiri youth because nowhere in the world 800,000 troops are deployed to subdue nine million people.

“I am giving a message today to the people of occupied Kashmir that you have not only made us raise our heads with pride but all other oppressed people in other parts of the world, like the Palestinians facing Israeli atrocities.

“I have no qualms about saying that we will soon see occupied Kashmir free [from Indian subjugation].”