NPC hosts seminar on Kashmir Solidarity Day
Masood pays rich tributes to heroic struggle of people in IIOJ&K
Former Prime Minister of the Azad Jammu & Kashmir Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has urged the government of Pakistan and the stakeholders to devise a ‘Qaumi Kashmir Policy’ (National Kashmir Policy) which should be accepted and adopted by each government as well as political party irrespective of political, regional or ethnic affiliation.
He was presiding over a seminar in connection with the Kashmir Solidarity Day organized by the Nazriya Pakistan Council at the Aiwan-e-Quaid here on Thursday.
Former President of the AJK and ex-Ambassador of Pakistan to the US and China, Sardar Masood Khan also attended the event as Chief Guest.
Prominent Kashmiri leaders Dr Syed Nazir Gilani and Dr Altaf Hussain Wani were guests of honour on the occasion.
Senior Vice Chairman of the NPC and Editor-in-Chief of Pakistan Observer, Mr Faisal Zahid Malik welcomed the guests at the Kashmir Day event.
Among those who attended and addressed on the occasion included Abdullah Hameed Gul, Ambassador (R) Johar Saleem, former CG of Pakistan to Manchester, Amb Salahuddin Chaudhry, former Senator Razina Alam Khan, poet Farkhanda Shamim, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Pakistan Md Iqbal Hussain Khan, Kanwar M Dilshad, Members of the NPC Executive Council Nargis Nasir, Dr Muhammad Afzal Babar.
Sardar Attique in a candid and confident tone dismissed the notion that economic might of India in any way could exhaust or weaken the Kashmiri people’s struggle for their just right of self-determination. The two regions—Occupied Kashmir and Pakistan—are inseparable and India will sooner or later have to realize this fact, said the former Prime Minister of the AJK who is also president of the Muslim Conference.
The Founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, said Sardar Attique, had called Kashmir as jugular vein of Pakistan because he knew all sources of water of the newly-created state of Pakistan were located in that region. Besides, it is the will of the people of Kashmir that ultimately prevails and the people of the IIOJ&K had expressed their will for Pakistan, said Sardar Attique. Moreover, people and the armed forces of Pakistan keep the Kashmir cause close to their hearts, said Sardar Attique while referring the Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir’s a day earlier speech in which the army chief vowed to fight 10 wars if need be, for the sake of Kashmir.
Chief Guest Sardar Masood Khan paid rich tributes to the epic struggle and heroic sacrifices of the people of the IIOJ&K and called upon the audience as well as the people and the government of Pakistan to always remember their
Kashmiri brothers and sisters. Giving a historical background, Sardar Masood Khan said Sheikh Abdullah was the first among the traitors who stabbed in the back of the Kashmir cause. Even today, the people of the Occupied Kashmir are facing the impact of Sheikh Abdullah’s treachery, he said. He also called upon the government of Pakistan to listen to the grievances of the people of the AJK. If India is economically strong it doesn’t mean that we should quit our principled stance, said Sardar Masood.
Dr Nazir Gilani presented a background to Pakistan’s case on Kashmir in the United Nations. We don’t need to enter any bloody war with India to get Kashmir as legally also our case is strong enough. Dr Gilani said India surrendered its right to Kashmir in 1948 when 81 days after accessing Kashmir (Oct 27, 1948) it approached the UN on Jan 15, 1948 requesting the world body to resolve the dispute between Pakistan and India.
This fact alone enables us to fight and prove our case at any international forum, he said.
Mr Faisal Zahid Malik on the occasion emphasized unity and clarity on this important issue and praised the resolve of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir as they gave a clear message to the international community that Pakistan cannot and will not leave the people of the IIOJ&K in adversity. Our claim on Kashmir is just and in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations, said Mr Faisal Zahid Malik.
He regretted that today the world powers were dumb with regard to the gross violations of Human Rights (HR) in the occupied valley. Mr Faisal Malik also highlighted the miseries of the people of Palestine and urged the world to pay attention to their miseries also.
Altaf Hussain Wani noted with satisfaction that this year Pakistan government and people observed the Kashmir Solidarity Day on a national level. It is time to counter India’s narrative with all the diplomatic, political and moral force, he said.
Abdullah Gul said the government of Pakistan should reconsider its policy of ‘diplomatic, political and moral support’ to the people of IIOJ&K.
Ambassador Johar Saleem brushed aside the impression that Pakistan would not be able to claim Kashmir any longer in the face of the growing power of India.
He gave a number of examples from the past events that showed how changes appeared on the map of the world overnight against expectation of the people.
Ambassador Salahuddin also highlighted the Indian forces’ blatant violations of human rights and regard for the lives and properties of the people of the occupied Kashmir. Kashmir a paradise on earth is sadly in the clutches of more than 1 million armed forces which is sufficient to tell the situation in that particular part of the world, he said. The world, however, is gradually realizing the plight of the Kashmiri people, said Amb Salahuddin noting that in the western media, reports related to the plight of Kashmiri people are finding an ample space which is a good sign.
An exhibition by the school and college students organized by the Directorate of Electronic Media and Publications, Ministry of Information was also focus of attention of the participants. Director Media Hameed Qaiser conducted the proceedings.
