October 25, 2002	Friday	Sha’aban 18,1423

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MUZAFFARABAD, Oct 24: Kashmir Committee chairman Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan has said that the merit in the Azad Kashmir should be based on the ideology, and those who are anti-Pakistan have no right to get any government job here.

He was speaking at a seminar organized by the Kashmir Academy at a local hotel on Thursday in connection with AJK’s 55th Foundation Day.

Mr Khan said: “Azad Kashmir is an ideological state. Here the need is to establish ideological merit than the legal merit.”

“We have to protect our identity and the departure from the ideological merit will leave us empty handed at the end of the day,” he added.

He said that certain moves had been taken which were creating the ideological instability in the liberated territory. “If such actions are not foiled, our borders will become unsafe,” he warned.

The Kashmir Committee chairman called for removal of “non- ideological people” from the ranks of AJK administration, besides claiming that there were elements in the army and Pakistani establishment as well, which were against the country.

Recalling the Kashmir liberation movement of the 1947 he said: “We liberated this territory without any resources. Although we faced acute shortage of fighters and arms, we kicked out the enemy troops with our strong faith and ideology.”

Mr Khan claimed: “We had guided the governments in Pakistan on a number of occasions and stopped them from retreat and defeatism.”

“In spite of excesses meted out to us in the past, we have strengthened our bonds with Pakistan,” he said.