‘Kashmir will now move toward independence,’ Khan told a special session of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) legislative assembly in Muzaffarabad Islamabad has been highlighting the Kashmir issue since last August when New Delhi revoked the autonomy of part of the territory that falls under its control ISLAMABAD: India’s annexation of Kashmir was a “fatal mistake” that will eventually lead to the disputed territory’s independence, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday. “Kashmir will now move toward independence,” Khan told a special session of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) legislative assembly in Muzaffarabad as Pakistanis observed Kashmir Solidarity Day on Feb. 5. Khan claimed his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi had made “a fatal mistake by revoking the special status of occupied Kashmir,” and said that the Indian government has detained 8 million Kashmiris in an open prison “through the deployment of over 900,000 occupation troops.” Islamabad has been highlighting the Kashmir issue since last August when New Delhi revoked the autonomy of part of the territory that falls under its control, and imposed a lockdown and a communications blackout to stop protests in the Muslim-majority region. Tensions between Pakistan and India have been running high over Kashmir, since each country rules part of the disputed Himalayan territory, but claims it in full. The territorial dispute has led to two armed conflicts. Khan told the AJK assembly that he was highlighting the issue at global forums including the UN General Assembly and in talks with international leaders. Referring to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist organization, Khan said: “We have effectively exposed the ideology of RSS, which poses a threat not only to Pakistan but to all of India.” The Pakistani leader claimed RSS ideology had inspired Modi’s actions against Kashmiris and India’s Muslim minority. “Modi cannot put the genie of Hindu nationalism back in the bottle. If he moves ahead with his policies, he will face severe resistance,” Khan said. In his address to the nation, Pakistan President Arif Alvi expressed solidarity with the people of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. “It has been a battle of hope against overwhelming odds, of courage against fear and of sacrifice against tyranny. But through all of it, the Kashmiri people have persisted, unrelenting and proud like they have always been, to deny India the perverse gratification of subjugating them,” he said. New Delhi’s decision to do away with the state’s special status had “further strengthened the bond” between Pakistan and the Kashmiri people, Alvi added. Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging India to reverse its decision and withdraw troops from the area. The resolution also called on India to lift a media ban in Kashmir, and allow UN military observers and international media “to assess and report on the human rights situation there.” Khan said that Pakistani leadership will continue to highlight the issue internationally. “We are succeeding in our efforts to bring the Kashmir issue into international focus,” he added.