Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar on Thursday said that Pakistan has fraternal ties with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The military spokesperson, in response to a question regarding visit of Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa to Riyadh, said it is a pre-planned visit and part of military-to-military exchanges between the two countries.
“These relations are historic, very important, have always been excellent and will remain so. There should be no doubt of this,” he said. Maj Gen Iftikhar added: “Nobody should doubt the centrality of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Muslim world. Our hearts beat with the people of Saudi Arabia. So there is no need to raise any questions on our relations with one another.”
He said Gen Bajwa’s trip is a planned tour related to military-to-miltary engagements. “There is no need to read too much into it.”
Briefing the nation on the ongoing atrocities by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir and on the Line of Control, he said: “Freedom is one of God’s greatest blessings. For this freedom we have, I pay tribute to the people who participated in the Pakistan movement, and its leaders, particularly Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam’s vision.”
“If you wish to know the price for this freedom, ask those mothers in occupied Kashmir who bury their sons’ bodies wrapped in Pakistan’s national flag,” Maj Gen Iftikhar said.
He said that in occupied Kashmir, “the worst siege in human history has been going on for a year”. “India, with its state-sponsored terrorism, is conducting a genocide in occupied Kashmir and violating human rights in the worst possible manner.”
“India, under a well thought out plan, is changing the demography there and seeking to expel Muslims from the region,” he continued. Maj Gen Iftikhar said there is no form of oppression that the Kashmiris are not subjected to.
“The sanctity of women and children is being violated. The youth are being martyred in the name of counter-terrorism and buried at unknown locations. The use of pellet guns against the innocent Kashmiris has become commonplace. The Kashmiri leadership in the occupied territory has been imprisoned for a year,” the ISPR chief said, highlighting the dire situation in the occupied region.
“I salute the perseverance of the brave Kashmiri people who for 73 years have been a symbol of resistance against such oppression.”
He said that the government of Pakistan has raised its voice to highlight the seriousness of the situation at every local and international forum. “Voices decrying such injustice are now echoing in parliaments the world over,” said the ISPR chief.
He said despite the worst siege in history, Genocide Watch, human rights organisations and international media have exposed India’s oppression and state-sponsored terrorism.
Maj Gen Iftikhar said that the secretary-general of the United Nations has stressed on the granting of human rights in occupied Kashmir and in the recent visit to Pakistan, the UNGA president-elect said that a peaceful resolution to the dispute is vital for peace in the region.
He said that for the Security Council to take up the issue thrice in the past year is proof of the fact that the issue is of utmost importance to the international community.
The ISPR chief expressed confidence that the people of Kashmir will secure their right to self-determination soon.
