GILGIT, Aug 1: The chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Amanullah Khan has demanded the empowerment of the Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC) so that the bureaucratic machinery could be made subordinate to the elected representatives, otherwise he feels the scheming bureaucrats would continue to usurp the people's rights as they have been doing since 1947.

Mr Khan was speaking on Saturday at the 16th anniversary of the JKLF struggle which started on July 31, 1988 in Gilgit. He said that the JKLF was compelled to start an armed struggle for the liberation of Kashmir as the dialogue process was not an ultimate option. "However we think that neither the gun alone nor the dialogue is a solution, but at times one is forced to seek both the options particularly when you are not properly heard," Mr Khan said.

He said it was sufficient to liberate Kashmir within six years with around 6,000 estimated sacrificed only if his party strategy was adopted but the involvement of "outer forces" and deviation from his party had resulted in 100,000 sacrifices and yet the issue is unresolved.

Mr Khan said he was imprisoned for 15 months in Gilgit Jail when he raised his voice for the rights of the people and condemned levying of Kohistan tax from Northern Areas traders. Mr Khan accused the Pakistan government of making U-turns at least on 12 occasions since 1947 and added "what to speak of its principled stand on the Kashmir Issue".

He said the liberation struggle by "outer forces" is more sectarian in nature rather than national, and one of the jehadi commanders on the ground torched the Charar Sharif (the shrine of Hazrat Nooruddin Wali) in Occupied Kashmir, and the motive was purely sectarian and also killed a top (Hindu Kashmiri) leader due to the same sectarian differences.

Speaking on the occasion JKLF Gilgit-Baltistan president Ziaul Haque said that JKLF was a pioneer in initiating the armed struggle for the liberation of Kashmir, but Pakistan-sponsored forces hijacked it and consequently their national struggle lost the international sympathy and attention, and eventually the struggle was made into a religious movement.

Mr Haque demanded that both India and Pakistan should withdraw their civilian and military forces from both the sides of Kashmir and called upon the people of Gilgit-Baltistan to unite to launch a massive struggle.

He said Gilgit-Baltistan are an integral part of Kashmir and the whole region including divided Kashmir should be given over to UN control for 15 years. Gilgit-Baltistan National Alliance chairman Maj (retd) Hussain Shah, former GBNA chairman Inayatullah Shumali, JKLF leader Shahid Ali, Shabbir Wali, Sajjad Hussain, Akram Khan, Mutawali and Balawaristan National Front leader Shujaat Ali also spoke on the occasion.