PM urges India to resolve Kashmir dispute.
No act of aggression will go unanswered: Army Chief.
ISLAMABAD – Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), on Wednesday visited Muzaffarabad, where he paid homage to the sacrifices of the martyrs. Upon arrival at the Jammu and Kashmir Monument, he laid floral wreath at the Martyrs’ Monument and offered rich tributes to the unparalleled sacrifices of the Shuhada, says a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
While paying homage to the martyrs of Kashmir, COAS also commended the unwavering dedication, professional excellence, and combat readiness of the deployed officers and soldiers in the face of challenging operational conditions in Kashmir. He lauded their high morale and vigilance, emphasising the importance of maintaining peak operational preparedness to deter and counter any hostile provocations.
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COAS expressed complete confidence in the battle readiness of the Armed Forces, and reaffirmed that no act of aggression would go unanswered and underscored Pakistan Army’s commitment to defend the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity with full resolve.
Later COAS interacted with the notables and veterans of Kashmir and reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast support for the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK).
COAS stated that Indian atrocities and rising Hindutva extremism only strengthens the resolve of Kashmiri people in their struggle for self-determination. He reaffirmed that Pakistan will always stand by them in their just and legitimate cause against state-sponsored repression and oppression. He remarked: “Without any doubt Kashmir will be free one day and part of Pakistan as per the free will and destiny of the people of Kashmir”. Earlier, upon arrival, COAS was received by the Commander Rawalpindi Corps.
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Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that for the lasting peace and progress and prosperity of the region and the world, peaceful and just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue in line with the UN Security Council resolutions and the aspiration of the Kashmiri people was imperative.
Addressing the AJK Legislative Assembly on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, the prime minister reiterated that resolution of Kashmir dispute could only be made under the UNSC resolutions and wishes of the people of Kashmir by allowing them to exercise their right to self –determination in a just and impartial manner. The global community, democracies, institutions and world bodies supported the rights of the people of Palestine and Kashmir, he said, adding “Two separate standards for democracy and justice and discrimination in the enforcement of the international laws cannot be accepted because such is the requirement of international laws and demands of humanity.”
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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.
Reminding India, the prime minister said that it should not be oblivious to the fact that with the draconian laws and unleashing a reign of brutalities and terror, it could snatch rights of the Kashmiris and dislodge them from their land.
India had already used all kinds of atrocious tactics but could not succeed. By shedding blood, burning of homes, extrajudicial killing of youth, strangulating children, putting Kashmiri leaders under house arrests and Kashmiri people in jails could not resolve the issue, he added.
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He said IIOJK had been turned into the world’s largest jail with huge Indian military presence.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif 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.
He said Pakistan had always been an advocate of peace with all its neighbours, in the region and beyond, and it wanted peaceful negotiations under all diplomatic norms for the progress and prosperity of the millions of people living in the region.
The prime minister said the history always called those who shed blood of the people as inhuman and brutal and membered those who removed pains of humanity, adding mere stockpiling weapons would not end poverty of the people. He said Indian should realise it as it was an era of knowledge and information.
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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.
The prime minister said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had conducted nuclear tests on 28 May 1998 to show that they would not compromise on the national interests.
The former Indian prime minister Vajpayee came to Lahore and agreed to resolve all issues including Kashmir which was the only way forward and still written in Lahore.
The prime minister, reaffirmed solidarity with the Kashmiri people and the government of AJK on Kashmir Solidarity Day, saying ‘it is not a day but an occasion to reiterate our resolve and commitment to Kashmir’.
He also paid tribute to Kashmiri shuhada who shed their blood in the last seven decades, and mentioned leaders like Burhan Wani, Syed Ali Geelani, Asiya Andrabi, Yaseen Malik and Mirwaiz Omar Farooq who had contributed in the movement for freedom.
In this movement, they were standing shoulder to shoulder with their Kashmiri brethren unless they got their freedom and succeed in their efforts, he said, adding with their determination, the Kashmiri people had defeated the Indian forces by bracing all kind of brutalities and shedding their blood. With each passing moment, their resolve was getting stronger.
India was enhancing its military presence but the movement for freedom was also getting strength with each passing day, he observed. The prime minister said 240 million Pakistanis, its government, Kashmiris and the UN had not accepted India’s August 5 illegal steps.
“Quaid e Azam had called Kashmir as a jugular vein of Pakistan. There are no other words that can define it perfectly,” he added.
The prime minister also assured that the government of Pakistan was committed to equal progress and prosperity of all its areas and would continue supporting AJK with provision of development funds as done in the recent past, adding Danish schools network would be broadened in other areas of AJK.
Speaking on the occasion, AJK Prime Minister Anwarul Haq lauded the moral, diplomatic and political support extended consistently by the government and people of Pakistan for the just cause of Kashmiris.
Kashmiris and the people of Pakistan enjoyed strong bonds and would stand with each other, he added.
He thanked the prime minister for financial support to the AJK government for the development projects.
Earlier, the prime minister arrived on one-day visit to AJK to express solidarity with Kashmiri people on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day. He laid a floral wreath at the Yadgar-e-Shuhada and prayed for the eternal peace of the Shuhada. The prime minister was accompanied by AJK Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir.
Also, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assured that issue of Jammu and Kashmir was a cornerstone of the country’s foreign policy and will continue to be so till its resolution.
Talking to a delegation of All Parties Hurriyat Conference here on Wednesday the Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s moral, diplomatic, and political support for the struggle of Kashmiri brothers and sisters.
“The sacrifices of Kashmiris who have laid down their lives in the struggle for the right to self-determination will not go in vain,” the Prime Minister said.
He emphasized the urgent need for the international community to take action against Indian aggression and human rights violations in Kashmir.
The Prime Minister reiterated that Pakistan will maintain its unwavering moral, diplomatic, and political support for the Kashmiri people until they achieve their right to self-determination, in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
He also directed Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Engineer Amir Muqam to formulate a strategy to address the concerns and issues faced by refugees in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) expressed their appreciation to the Prime Minister and the Government of Pakistan for their continued solidarity with the Kashmiri people. They also praised Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Kashmir freedom movement.
The Hurriyat leaders commended the Prime Minister for highlighting the Kashmir issue before the international community through the United Nations platform.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, Speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Chaudhry Latif Akbar, Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Engineer Amir Muqam, and Attaullah Tarar, among with Kashmiri leaders Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Advocate Parvez, Ijaz Rahmani, Syed Gulshan, Muhammad Ashraf Dar, Shaheen Iqbal, Mushtaq Ahmed, Khurshid Ahmed Khan, and Raja Khadim Hussain Shaheen.
