Islamabad, (TW News) __ Chairman of the Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR), Altaf Hussain Wani, has strongly criticised the Indian occupation authorities’ decision to attach land belonging to US-based Kashmiri intellectual and lobbyist Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, describing the move as part of a broader and systematic pattern of punitive action against dissenting voices.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the KIIR chairman said the attachment reflects a deliberate policy aimed at curtailing international advocacy on the Kashmir dispute, particularly voices that challenge India’s narrative at global forums.

He noted that Dr. Fai has, for decades, presented the Kashmir case at international platforms and has consistently advocated a settlement of the dispute in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions, which explicitly recognise Kashmiris’ birthright to self-determination.

Wani maintained that such measures are unlikely to achieve their stated objectives. He argued that coercive actions against Kashmiri activists engaged in political advocacy have historically failed to suppress the broader movement, which derives its legitimacy from sustained public support and UN resolutions calling for a referendum to allow Kashmiris to determine their political future.

The KIIR chief further pointed to similar actions taken against exiled Kashmiri activists and Hurriyat representatives, whose properties, he said, have been seized primarily due to their political engagement and continued calls for a resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.