Palestinian Youth Movement statement in support of Kashmiri struggle against colonialism & occupation:
We, the Palestinian Youth Movement, express our solidarity with the people of Kashmir as they continue to bravely resist occupation by Indian military forces.
For decades, the people of Kashmir have fought for their right to political sovereignty and autonomous recognition as a nation and a people. Article 370 of the Indian Constitution
guaranteed these rights and gave Kashmir special status that maintained its autonomy. This month, the Indian government revoked Article 370, resulting in the loss of Kashmir’s special administrative status. The Indian government has effectively stripped Kashmiris of their right to self-determination and forced them to answer to the government in New Delhi.
To enforce this decision on an unwilling people, India has deployed around one million Indian military forces to Kashmir, who are currently occupying universities, student hostels, police stations, court chambers, and other government buildings. It is expected that all telephone and internet services will soon be shut down to prevent communication to the outside world.
As Palestinian youth, we are all too familiar with the realities of foreign and military occupation at the cost of a people’s right to self-determination. Moreover, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is actually the first in history to visit Israel and has worked to forge a personal, political, and militaristic relationship with the Zionist state. His foreign imposition of Indian nationalism on a people and land who have long fought for their own national autonomy is a denial of the right to self-determination, as much as the Zionist state’s actions are a denial of our right to self-determination to reclaim our homeland as Palestinians.
We firmly stand with the people of Kashmir in their struggle for liberation as they continue to bravely resist occupation of their land. #StandWithKashmir #Kashmir