MUZAFFARABAD, Jan 13: AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan on Sunday said his government would forcefully implement the policies of President Gen Pervez Musharraf in Azad Kashmir.

Speaking at a function here, he said: “We will follow in totality the guidelines given by President Musharraf and forcefully implement his policies in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.”

Though he did not elaborate, but his choice of words indicated that the AJK government could clamp a similar ban on the extremist groups in line with Saturday’s address of President Musharraf.

“We fully support and commend the historical and bold address of the president in view of the international politics and we pay rich tributes to him for that,” said the premier.

He was of the view that despite unfavourable conditions the president had taken a categorical and unequivocal stand on Kashmir, which was encouraging for the Kashmiris.

Sardar Sikandar said Kashmir was not a territorial dispute but the issue of right to self-determination for more than 13 million Kashmiris.

“This right of ours has been acknowledged by the whole world, including India,” he said and added that India’s perpetual refusal to implement the United Nations resolutions had forced the Kashmiris to adopt the course of armed struggle.

He demanded that the international community, particularly the big powers, should take note of India’s jingoism and initiate measures to avert a devastating war in the region.

“The world must admit that without settlement of the Kashmir issue, establishment of peace in South Asia will remain a distant dream,” he said.

He said the people of Azad Kashmir were fully prepared to fight for the defence of the country alongside the armed forces.

He said the struggle in Kashmir was indigenous. “We are only enjoying Islamabad’s political, moral and diplomatic support, which is our right, because Pakistan is a key party to the Kashmir dispute.”

He said the armed struggle in the held territory must continue unless India agreed to give up its false claim on Kashmir.