Shehbaz holds out an olive branch to India

PM says Lahore Declaration can be basis for dialogue on Kashmir, other issues

MUZAFFARABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday once again extended an invitation to India to hold a meaningful and serious dialogue in an effort to resolve the decades-old Kashmir dispute for a lasting peace and progress and prosperity of the region and the world.

Addressing the AJK Legislative Assembly on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, the prime minister said February 5 was not an ordinary day but a history, and every inch of Kashmir belongs to its people.

"On the day, the entire Pakistani nation salutes the martyrs of Kashmir. From Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to Syed Ali Shah Geelani, every worker, lawyer, journalist and Kashmiri child is rest assured that Pakistan will not remain silent until Kashmiris see the dawn of freedom," the prime minister added.

The prime minister said the people of IIOJK have defeated India through their perseverance and determination for independence. "India has soaked the land of IIOJK with the blood of innocent people but the Kashmiris' resolve for their right to self-determination remains unfazed."

Despite heavy deployment of Indian troops in IIOJK, Kashmiris are ambitious to achieve freedom from usurpers of their rights, the prime minister said and added the observance of Kashmir Day highlights the nefarious designs of India behind its actions taken on August 5, 2019.

He urged the international community to play its role in helping Kashmiris get their right to self-determination in accordance with justice and international law.

He said Pakistan wanted to resolve the Kashmir issue and other problems with its neighbour through dialogue. "This is not a time for blood shedding, rather it is the century of knowledge. Those who shed blood will be remembered as ruthless in the history. Pakistan's desire for peace should not be construed as weakness."

The prime minister urged India to get out of its August 5, 2019 sort of thinking for the interest of peace in the region and implement UNSC resolutions and promises it made with the international community by holding meaningful dialogue.

"Our army is not only brave but also professionally strong. The actions taken to foil attempts made by Abhinandan and Kulbhushan Jadhav speak volume of the Pakistan Army's capabilities," said Shehbaz Sharif.

Pakistan wants the resumption of serious talks in line with the Lahore Declaration made during the tenure of India's former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "The talks can also cover the Jammu and Kashmir issue as well as other important bilateral matters," the prime minister asserted.

The prime minister reassured that he would continue raising voice for the Kashmiris as he had vociferously highlighted the issue at the UNGA and OIC and other foras and clearly expressed Pakistan's stance.

He said Indian should realize it as it was an era of knowledge and information.

The prime minister reiterated that Pakistan's quest for peace was not a sign of weakness rather it was deeply rooted in the teachings of Islam, national heritage and their system.

He said Pakistan was a nuclear state with strong and professional armed forces always standing like a strong bulwark against all aggressions, adding from the creation of Pakistan till now, the country had responded strongly against all aggressions and referred to arrests of Kulbhushan and Abhinandan as reflection of the same. "For the sake of national interests, we will use all our force and will not desist," he declared.