MUZAFFARABAD, July 19: Federal Minister for Information and Media Development, Nisar Memon, on Friday assured the struggling Kashmiris that there was no change in Pakistan’s Kashmir policy and added those propagating otherwise were “enemies of the country.”
“Those who say that the Kashmir policy of (President) Pervez Musharraf has changed are enemies of the country. The only difference is that we have advanced the issue more swiftly,” he said at a big public meeting held here to commemorate the passage of a resolution by the Muslim Conference working committee in Srinagar 55 years ago the same day.
The resolution called for accession of the Muslim-majority Kashmir to Pakistan, which came into being about a month later on August 14, 1947.
The public meeting was addressed, among others, by National Kashmir Committee chairman and a long-time head of Muslim Conference Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, AJK premier Sardar Sikandar Hayat and All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Ghulam Mohammad Safi.
Mr Memon said Kashmir was not the issue of Kashmiris alone or that of Pakistan and India, but of the whole world.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s political, moral and diplomatic support to the struggling Kashmiris, he said: “We will in no way let the sacrifices of the martyrs (in Kashmiris) go waste.”
Accusing India of committing state terrorism in held Kashmir, he said it would be “unjust to dub the freedom movement there terrorism.”
The minister asserted that India had failed on the diplomatic front after the US rejected its demand that Pakistan be put on the list of states that sponsored terrorism.
New Delhi, he said, had also failed on the military front because “our country is militarily strong and our forces are vigilant.”
“Pakistan does not want war but one has to remain prepared for the war to maintain peace,” he said, adding that it was the preparedness on part of Pakistan which took courage out of India to advance by a single inch.
However, he said, India was successful on one count. “They have recently killed Abdul Ghani Lone and they are unrelentingly killing the Kashmiris who are fighting for freedom.”
The minister rejected allegations that people from Pakistan were crossing into Indian occupied Kashmir (to fight there).
“This is absolutely wrong to say that the people from here are going there. The movement in Kashmir is indigenous and will continue (to be so).”
Tracing the history, he said when the Kashmiris rose in revolt against the Hindu ruler in 1931, he had also alleged that it was sponsored from outside.
“Now Maharaja (L K) Advani is saying the same thing. But I want to tell him his fate will not be different from that of the previous Maharajas,” remarked the minister, amid clapping.
Earlier, APHC leader Ghulam Mohammad Safi praised Pakistan for “defeating India on diplomatic front” but stressed that Islamabad should also project the “militancy” in held Kashmir as a legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris and not show any “apologetic approach” in this regard.
“If the United Nations secretary general can present medals to the guerrillas of East Timor who fought against Indonesian troops, then why not to Kashmiris who are also fighting against occupation forces?”
In his speech, Sardar Abdul Qayyum called for strengthening Azad Kashmir to meet the demands of the defence of Pakistan.
“All of India’s attempts and trickery has failed in Kashmir and elections are the last attempt,” Sardar Qayyum said, adding, “I just want to tell that whosoever will take oath under Indian constitution (after taking part in elections) will sell out his freedom for good.”
The AJK premier pointed out that the absence of justice and fair play gave birth to resistance and added that since the Kashmiris were not given their right through peaceful means, they were forced to get it through the armed struggle.
He rejected reports that there were training camps in Azad Kashmir. The Kashmiris, he said, were not using aircraft, artillery or marines in their struggle against Indian occupation that they required any training.
“Those who are prepared to die for a cause need no training.”
MUZAFFARABAD, July 19: Federal Minister for Information and Media Development, Nisar Memon, on Friday assured the struggling Kashmiris that there was no change in Pakistan’s Kashmir policy and added those propagating otherwise were “enemies of the country.”
