India isn’t good to any neighbour: AJK president

Sardar Yaqoob urges New Delhi to stop human rights violations

KARACHI: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan called upon India on Sunday to stop human rights violations and desist from attacks along the Line of Control (LoC), saying such actions compel the people of Kashmir to take up arms.

“India is not good to any neighbouring country,” he said while addressing a news conference at the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) media cell in Karachi on Sunday.

All the neighbouring countries, international media and the United Nations should think over the present policy of New Delhi towards the people of Kashmir, he stressed.

The AJK president said that India is behind the unrest in Balochistan and making the situation disturbed in Punjab and Sindh as well. “We aren’t satisfied with Indian leadership.”

Appreciating Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan government’s stance on Kashmir cause, he said: “Pakistan proved its potential as being a nuclear power,” adding, “We [Kashmiris] are very thankful to General Raheel Sharif too.”

Pakistan, Sardar Yaqoob said, wanted to support and resolve the issue of Kashmir through peaceful dialogue but New Delhi isn’t ready to address this burning issue.

Lifting the lid on the India’s propaganda policy towards its neighbouring country, he said that due to Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue, the government in New Delhi tries to portray Pakistan as a terrorist state at the international platforms.

“Pakistan has always supported peaceful negotiations on the issue of Kashmir,” the AJK president said, adding, “But the Indian government violates the negotiation process.”

Pakistan has always supported the Kashmiris, he maintained, “The Kashmiri people consider themselves true and loyal to Pakistan than to Pakistanis.”



Kashmiri students support Pakistan because of its response to them, Sardar Yaqoob pointed out. They can give same positive response to India as well if they [Indian government] treat them accordingly, he added.

Referring to his meeting with former president Asif Ali Zardari three years ago on the issue of Kashmir and leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said that the PPP leadership has always raised the Kashmir cause on both national and international platforms. “Anything is expected from Narendra Modi [Indian PM].”

Kashmiri people want prosperous India, the AJK president said. “But we won’t compromise on our stance.”

If Kashmir is attacked, India will bear its cost within, he said, adding that Kashmir is fighting Pakistan’s ideological war.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2015.