AJK president calls for national unity to thwart India’s sinister designs in IOK

Sardar Masood Khan pays glowing tributes to Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas for his lifelong struggle for Kashmir freedom

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan on Wednesday paid glowing tributes to Raheesul Ahrar Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas for his lifelong struggle to get his motherland liberated from India while describing him as glittering star of the Kashmir freedom movement.

The president expressed his views while addressing a ceremony organised to mark the 52nd death anniversary of the veteran Kashmiri leader who is regarded as one of pioneer leaders of Kashmir’s freedom struggle.

Regretting that the mission initiated by Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas in his young age could not be accomplished even after more than 70 years, President Masood described the Kashmiri leader as close aide of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. “The founder of Pakistan had great confidence in Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas.”

President Masood suggested that in order to "revive the spirit of 1947 to achieve our goals and to make Kashmir’s liberation struggle a success, we will have to bury the hatchets by setting aside our political differences".

While mentioning about the triumphs of the state so far, he said: "We had liberated 84,000 square kilometres area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan from the Dogra Raj and Indian army. We also got approval for more than one dozen resolutions from the UN Security Council and had been able to get Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir recognised as a disputed territory when Pakistan was a very weak state.”

AJK president urges action rather than statements to help Kashmiris

The AJK president also said that August 5 action by the Modi-led government was military invasion of Kashmir and it can be countered with not political and diplomatic moves but military strength.

"How naive we are that RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] chief Mohan Bhagat is imparting armed training to hundreds of thousands of young boys and girls to prepare them to attack on Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, but we are seeking help from the United Nations and other powers.”

He fostered the idea that "we must not overlook the enemy's planning and conspiracies against the security and integrity of our country".

President Masood lamented that India had perpetrated an unimaginable reign of terror in the occupied territory for the last five months. “More than 13,000 youth have been rounded up, and put behind the bars where they are being subjected to the worst form of torture.”

He added: "The Indian army is humiliating our mothers, sisters and daughters while occupied  Kashmir has been bifurcated, and after annexing it with the Indian Union, it has been downgraded to the level of a municipal committee.”

The function was also addressed by AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan, former prime minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Khan Swati, Speaker AJK Legislative Assembly Shah Ghulam Qadir, Hurriyat conference leaders Abdul Hameed Lone, Daud Khan, Zahid Safi, and others.