President Azad Kashmir Sardar Yaqoob Khan greets PM Nawaz Sharif in Muzaffarabad. PHOTO: NNI
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday lashed out at India for adopting delaying tactics to settle the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. The PM said that India is not sincere in meaningful talks with Islamabad. He was addressing a joint session of the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly and Kashmir Council, in connection with the Kashmir Solidarity Day here on Thursday.
The premier said that Pakistan wants to settle the Jammu and Kashmir dispute with India through talks, and that without a permanent settlement of this pivotal issue, regional peace shall remain in danger.
Nawaz Sharif said the entire Pakistani nation and the people of AJK support the people of Indian administered Kashmir in their freedom struggle.
While paying glowing tributes to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the PM said that matchless sacrifices of the people of Indian administered Kashmir will never go in vain as they are fighting for a noble cause.
The premier said that Kashmir runs in his blood and he has a special attachment with the land as the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam had called it the jugular vein of Pakistan.
“The people of Pakistan have a strong bond with Kashmiris as our culture, traditions and social values are the same. The people of Kashmir and Pakistan are linked with each other, both geographically and religiously,” he said.
Sharif said that Pakistan would continue to provide support to the people of Kashmir politically, morally and diplomatically, and hailed the fact that 700,000 Indian occupational troops had failed to crush their liberation movement. “The way they are killing Kashmiris is a stain over the face of civilised world community.”
The PM further said that the government of Pakistan would continue to raise the Kashmir issue at UN and other international forums, adding that he had raised the issue at the UN and had personally urged the UN Secretary General in a meeting that they should implement the UN resolution to bring peace in South Asia.
Sharif said that besides other global forums, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also sided with the people of Kashmir.
Commenting on terrorism, the PM said that there is no room for terrorism in Pakistan.
“The nation has decided to get rid of terrorism. Zarb-e-Azb was the decision of the whole nation; all political parties were on the same page to eliminate terrorism once and for all,” he said. Sharif shared that the Anti-Terrorism Force that was established in Punjab would be launched in other provinces too to contain terrorists.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2015.
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Quaid-e-Azam had called it the jugular vein of Pakistan:- This I agree, and it cut the throat of PAK.
"the entire Pakistani nation and the people of AJK support the people of Indian administered Kashmir in their freedom struggle";- the last I checked people of J&K were going to polls and electing their own leaders for a long time and it was always the PAK sympathizers who boycotted the election and never won any seat, and the only support they ever received from PAK was wars, death and destruction.
The people of Pakistan have a strong bond with Kashmiris as our culture, traditions and social values are the same. The people of Kashmir and Pakistan are linked with each other, both geographically and religiously;- Hmm, what about the Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhists? So, it is always about religion and never about people. Afghanistan is much more linked geographically and religiously to PAK than Kashmir.
Pakistan wants to settle the Jammu and Kashmir dispute with India through talks, and that without a permanent settlement of this pivotal issue, regional peace shall remain in danger- How? By sending in Jihadis or invading India? I am always baffled with this statement. I never hear such terms from any of the neighbors in the region.
I understand that he has to make this kind of speech every year but it should have substance. PAK does not know how to get out of this mess the ZAB created. The involvement of PAK in Kashmir destroyed the development prospects of Azad Kashmiris, and destroyed their monetary independence.