Criticism: Govt has failed to resolve Kashmir dispute, says Haq

The JI chief says that federal ministers were expected to represent the nation

LAHORE:  

The government has failed to effectively project the Kashmir issue on the international stage, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) ameer Senator Sirajul Haq said on Monday.

He was addressing members of the JI media committee at Mansoora.

“If the government of Pakistan and its ministers cannot plead the Kashmiri’s just cause, they should at least refrain from stabbing them in the back by appearing to support New Delhi’s stance,” Haq said.

The JI chief said that federal ministers were expected to represent the nation. “They should be careful about what they say lest it appears to undermine the country’s ideology. The other day, the federal information minister’s remarks appeared to be the statement of an Indian minister and not a Pakistani minister,” Haq said.

He said that Quaid-i-Azam had called Kashmir Pakistan’s jugular vein. “Hundreds of thousands of people laid down their lives for the creation of Pakistan. It is tragic that some people are trying to undermine the ideological foundations of the country. They should realise that the country’s geographical boundaries can only be safeguarded by its ideology,” he said.

Haq said that Pakistani rulers had given a warm welcome to Indian Prime Minister Modi. “Modi is the main culprit behind the demolition of the Babari Masjid. He is also responsible for the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2016.