PM Shehbaz reaffirms unwavering support for Kashmir cause, announces major development package

AZAD KASHMIR:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering political, diplomatic and moral support for the Kashmir cause and said the Kashmiri people’s struggle for the right to self-determination would continue until its logical conclusion in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

He also announced a special development package for the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Addressing a special session of the AJK Legislative Assembly held on Kashmir Solidarity Day, the prime minister paid tribute to the sacrifices of the Kashmiri people and underlined that history bore witness that Kashmiris could sacrifice their lives and children but would never compromise on their freedom.

The prime minister saluted martyrs of the Kashmir struggle, from Burhan Wani to veteran leader Syed Ali Geelani, and paid homage to leaders, activists, journalists, women and children, including Asiya Andrabi, Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. He said the blood of innocent Kashmiris had exposed India’s narrative before the world.

PM Shehbaz said Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had declared Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein”, which continued to form the basis of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He maintained that durable peace in South Asia was not possible unless India abandoned its hegemonic ambitions and respected the fundamental rights of Kashmiris.

Linking Kashmir with Palestine, the prime minister said granting oppressed peoples the right to live according to their will was a test of the international community’s commitment to democracy, justice and international law. He added that Pakistan would continue to play an active role in the peaceful resolution of both issues.

The premier expressed grief over the demise of former AJK president Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry. He recalled the late leader’s lifelong dedication to the Kashmir freedom movement and acknowledged the political services of his father, Chaudhry Noor Hussain, among the founding political figures of AJK. The house offered prayers for the deceased.

Earlier, PM Shehbaz and AJK PM Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore laid a wreath at AJK Yadgar-e-Shuhada on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day.

Special development package for AJK

PM Shehbaz also announced a comprehensive development package for AJK aimed at expanding access to education, improving infrastructure and strengthening the region’s economic base.

Central to the plan is the establishment of Danish Schools across AJK and the creation of a Danish University in Muzaffarabad, with a focus on modern technology, information technology, artificial intelligence and advanced scientific research.

The package also includes enhanced stipends for Kashmiri migrants, merit-based distribution of laptops, and expanded scholarships under the Pakistan Education Endowment Fund to support students from the region.

In addition, the federal government will undertake new water-supply schemes, invest in hydropower projects, construct key bridges and increase funding for public universities, with particular emphasis on women’s higher education institutions.

The prime minister said these initiatives were intended to empower Kashmiri youth, strengthen human capital and ensure that development in AJK progressed alongside Pakistan’s continued political and diplomatic support for the Kashmir cause.