Rashid stresses need for dialogue over Kashmir

Railways minister says cabinet to give final nod over closure of airspace to India

LAHORE: Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad on Saturday said the resolution of Kashmir issue through dialogue was not only better for India itself and the region, but also for the entire world.   Addressing a news conference here at the Railways Headquarters, the minister said Indian Prime Minister Modi made a wrong move by scrapping the special status of occupied Kashmir and warned the Indian leadership that Pakistan could use smart bombs in case of its aggression.

He criticised New Delhi for removing more than 1.9 million Muslims from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) list in Asam.

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He also said the Muslims in India were made second-class citizens. The “Hitler Modi” in fact wanted to crush the Muslims living across India, he added.

Rashid appreciated PM Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa for their efforts to highlight the Kashmir issue internationally, and for the country’s defence.

To a question on closure of country’s air space for India, he said the PM, the cabinet and the foreign ministry would take a decision in that regard, however, no train could be operated between Pakistan and India till he was a minister.

To another query, Rashid said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman should participate in the march for Kashmiris to be organised by him (Sheikh Rashid) instead of launching any long march.

The minister claimed that some associates of former president Asif Ali Zardari were ready to pay the looted national wealth, but he himself was not willing to do so.

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Ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his family and friends, he added, did not want to pay back the money made by them through corruption while in government.

“I suggest Nawaz and his associates to return the looted money and get relief,” he said. “Only a few overs were left now [in the match],” he added.

He claimed that disintegration of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was imminent as its several members of parliament wanted to leave the party. PM Imran would never agree to give an NRO to anyone, he added.