Political leaders rally behind PM’s peace offering

Say India should not consider Pakistan’s efforts for peace as its weakness

LAHORE:  

Leaders of different political parties in Punjab rallied behind Prime Minister Imran Khan’s peace offering as the premier announced on Thursday the release of Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

“Khan’s gesture to announce release the Indian pilot, who dared to enter Pakistan’s airspace, is being greatly hailed by people around the world,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Additional Secretary Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry said on Thursday.

He said Pakistan had once again given a positive response to India. “Khan’s peace gesture has proved to the world that the country did not want to indulge in war and support peace with India.

India should not consider Pakistan’s efforts for peace as its weakness. The armed forces of Pakistan are capable of dealing with any aggression. If India dares to impose war on Pakistan, the armed forces will retaliate with all their might,” he maintained. The PTI leader added Pakistan would take up the issue of Indian aggression in the United Nations (UN) and other global forums.

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP) Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq said the entire Pakistani nation stood shoulder-to-shoulder with its valiant armed forces to provide a memorable lesson to the enemy if it failed to alter its plans. “Modi had attacked Pakistan to secure votes of extremist Hindus, but he had got a befitting answer and the Indian government is now feeling the wounds of defeat.”

He said that unless and until the Kashmir issue was resolved, the clouds of war would continue hovering over the region. He said Kashmir had already gone out of India’s hands as its people were far more jubilant over the downing of two Indian jets than the Pakistanis.

He urged the UN to arrange plebiscite in Kashmir. “If the world community wanted to avoid an India-Pakistan war, it should take concrete steps to stop bloodshed in Held Kashmir and also ensure the right to self-determination for Kashmiris, in accordance with UN resolutions.”

The JIP chief appreciated Pakistan’ government decision not to attend the OIC meeting to which India had also been invited. He said the Kashmiris’ hatred for India was evident from the fact that Indian Premier Modi could not a find resting place during his recent tour to held-Kashmir. “Millions of Kashmiris had poured onto the streets to protest against his visit.

He said India had already realised that even if it sent its entire army to Kashmir, it won’t be able to crush the liberation movement. “That was why Modi’s anguish has gone out of control.| He said that Modi’s enmity for Muslims was no secret as he was the man responsible for the massacre of thousands of Muslims of Indian Gujrat and the demolition of the historic Babri mosque.”

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including Muhammad Pervaiz Malik, Khawaja Imran Nazir, Syed Tauseef Shah, Chaudhry Shahbaz, Ghazali Saleem Butt, Tanveer Zia Butt and others, held a rally against Indian aggression. PML-N leaders burnt the Indian flag and chanted slogans against the neighbouring country. They also burnt pictures of Indian Prime Minister Modi.

PML-N leaders also paid rich tributes to the armed forces and appreciated the peace gesture of the Pakistan government.