Our Correspondent
Mirpur
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has urged people of the liberated territory to practically contribute to turning the Kashmir resistance movement into a global campaign to end the Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing Youth Skills Enhancement Conference organized by the State~run Women’s University in Bagh city of AJK in collaboration with a UK-based NGO BTM Global on Tuesday, he said that the international community and the UN Security Council would come into action only when the Kashmir liberation movement becomes an international campaign against Indian colonial rule, AJK President secretariat said in a media release late Tuesday.
He said that the youth of Azad Kashmir, on one hand, should keep themselves abreast with the emerging technologies to make AJK and Pakistan strong economic powers and on the other help their brothers and sister in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir whose demand for freedom and dignity is being reciprocated with bombs and bullets. ‘Tragically, the Indian Army martyr or put in the torture cells the Kashmiri children of 12 to 14 years of age declaring them terrorists. Defending your life, property and honour is not terrorism or even illegitimate act under international law,’ he added.
Appreciating the efforts of the BTM Global for acquainting the youth of Azad Kashmir with the new expertise and the skills, the state president said that the BTM’s vision, if implemented in letter and spirit, can bring about a revolution in the liberated territory. He expressed the satisfaction that the public sector universities of Azad Kashmir had introduced programs and disciplines of tourism, hospitality, gardening, biotechnology, computer technology and artificial intelligence etc, and said that this will help achieve in the economic field what we could not gain in the last 70 years.
Sardar Masood Khan particularly lauded the social services offered by the BTM Global during the recent coronavirus pandemic as well as its intervention in education, health and social welfare sectors in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the youth should gain expertise in entrepreneurship to become self earner instead relying on government jobs.
Addressing the conference, prominent intellectual Brig (retd) Dr Mohammad Khan said that in today’s age, the survival and security of nations depend not on a big size of the army and war arsenal, but a strong economy. Unemployment is the main reason for poverty in Pakistan, and it is high time to create new job opportunities for skilled youth. He appreciated the efforts of BTM Global for imparting life skills to youth of Azad Kashmir to create a space for income generation in the state.
The BTM Chief Sumera Farrukh while appreciating Women University Bagh for organizing Skills Enhancement Conference said that her organization besides imparting vocational training to more than 1,400 youth, had provided furniture to the educational institutions of Azad Kashmir, and now a women’s hospital is being established at Palai in Mirpur for which the whole medical equipment would be imported from the UK. Sumera Farukh also showered praises on AJK President Sardar Masood for untiring efforts to highlight plights of oppressed people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and encouraging her organization to serve the marginalized people of AJK. The conference was also addressed among others by Vice-Chancellor Women Univesity Bagh Prof Dr Abdul Hameed, Commissioner Poonch Division Abdul Hameed Mughal.
President later also addressed a similar conference Organized by BTM Global in collaboration with the University of Poonch Rawalakot and urged the private sector to come forward and addressed the menace of unemployment that hindered progress and prosperity of the country. The President also held meetings with different public delegations at Circuit House Ralawakot.
