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| May 31, 2003 | Saturday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 28, 1424 |
Kashmir’s division to be opposed, says Sultan
MIRPUR, May 30: Leader of opposition in AJK Legislative Assembly, Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, on Friday said that every move for the division of the Jammu and Kashmir would be strongly resisted and foiled by the people of the state.
Speaking at a reception arranged in his honour by the city chapter of the People’s Party Azad Kashmir, he said it was the need of the hour to gear up diplomatic efforts to ensure the resolution of the Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, the major party to the dispute. He said the issue was going to be resolved in the near future.
Barrister Chaudhry said Pakistan had always sought solution to the issue through peaceful means “but India always responded in negative to these sincere approaches of Pakistan.”
He said that under mounting global pressure India seemed prepared to resolve the problem through talks.
He said the talks could bear fruit only if India was prepared to accept the reality and the international norms related to Kashmir.
He demanded that the people of Jammu and Kashmir be involved in the talks on the Kashmir issue.
He opposed the idea of division of Kashmir and said only Kashmiris had the right to decide about their destiny.
He said the sacrifices of women the blood of over 85,000 Kashmiri martyrs, who laid down their lives during the last 13 years of the freedom movement in occupied Jammu Kashmir, would not be allowed to go waste.
The former prime minister said: “Any formula that aims at the division of Kashmir will not be accepted by the Kashmiri people and any solution that is within the ambit of Indian constitution will meet the same fate.”
He said the Kashmir dispute was the basic cause of tension between India and Pakistan. “Self-determination is the birth right of Kashmiris and they should be involved in the solution on the basis of this right and the basic human rights charter of the United Nations,” he said.
He said he had summoned a central executive committee meeting of his party on July 8 to discuss the current drive for the solution to the dispute.
He criticized the statement of AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan proposing division of Kashmir.
Other speakers welcomed the efforts for peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue through the upcoming Indo-Pakistan dialogue and expressed satisfaction over the Kashmir policy of the government.—APP
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