In full force: People take to the streets on Kashmir day

Federal government is compromising over issue, says Mushtaq Ghani

SHABQADAR/ MALAKAND/ SWABI/ PESHAWAR/ BANNU/ JAMRUD: Rallies poured onto the roads of the city and other parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal belt on Friday to mark Kashmir Solidarity Day.

Prominent political leaders joined the participants – all of whom expressed their solidarity with the people of the region.

K-P Government Spokesperson and Special Assistant to CM Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani said the federal government appeared to be in a compromising position with New Delhi over the core issue of Indian-occupied Kashmir.

“Cross border attacks and killings of innocent Kashmiris are condemnable,” Ghani told the media at a programme related to Kashmir Day at the Hasnain Shaheed Government School No1 in Peshawar. “We also want good relations with India, but Kashmir is an integral part of Pakistan and the federal government seems to in a compromising position.”

He said Indians were killing the people of Kashmir, but Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was inviting them to his home. He was referring to the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Nawaz Sharif’s home in Lahore.

He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan was standing by the people of Kashmir and his party would always raise its voice against brutality and barbarism. He added women were dragged out of their homes and innocents were being brutally killed which was condemnable.

Ghani said the UN must support Kashmir’s right to self-determination.

All Parties Hurriyat Conference General Secretary Parvez Ahmad lauded the K-P government for arranging programmes on Kashmir Day.

“It suggests every single Pakistani supports the Kashmir cause and a clear message has been conveyed. This will increase the morale of freedom fighters and strengthen their unity,” he told the media.

JI rally

Jamaat-e-Islami held its rally from Mahabat Khan Mosque in Peshawar to Chowk Yadgar while activists of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Peshawar chapter held their rally outside the Peshawar Press Club.

JI provincial ameer Mushtaq Ahmed Khan asked India to stop cruelties against the people of Kashmir and withdraw its troops from the area. He asked Pakistan to play its role in helping the Kashmiris attain freedom.

“The day Pakistani leaders in government become sincere, they will free Kashmir from Indian occupation,” he said.

The party’s provincial ameer advised the federal government not to sit on the negotiating table unless India puts Kashmir on the agenda of the dialogue.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) was also active at rallies and programmes held on Kashmir Day. JUI-F K-P spokesperson Jalil Jan attended the JuD rally and asked for a peaceful struggle on the Kashmir issue.

Meanwhile, JUI-F leader Senator Ghulam Ali pressed the international community to resolve the issue. “The issue is the root cause of disputes in the region and India has occupied Kashmir and enslaved its people by force,” he said while addressing a programme at Mehmood Ghaznavi Islamia School in Shah Dhand, Peshawar.

Other areas

In Swabi, Jamaat-e-Islami K-P Vice Ameer Mirajuddin said Kashmir will become an independent state because of all its people have sacrificed. He was speaking at the TMA Hall in Swabi tehsil to members of the All Parties Kashmir Conference.

Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam marked Kashmir day by showing solidarity through a walk in Jamrud. Khyber Agency It started from the Jamrud Bazaar and was joined by a large number of people before culminating at Bab-e-Khyber.

JUI-F Malakand chapter held a rally in Batkhela Bazaar on Kashmir Solidarity Day. Participants demanded the UN to play its role in assisting Kashmir. A similar rally was held in Bannu while a ceremony was held in Parachinar. A series of functions were held in Mohmand Agency and Shabqadar, Charsadda to mark the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2016.