MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider on Friday appreciated the crackdown launched by the Pakistan government on proscribed organisations across the country and said his government was also following suit.

“The steps to set our own house in order are felicitous and should have been taken earlier,” he told the media at the Prime Minister’s House.

Stressing that Pakistan should be recognised as a peaceful country in the comity of nations, he said the use of power was the prerogative of the state and no individual or group should be allowed to exercise it.

Mr Haider said what the present government was doing or “had to do” was exactly what Nawaz Sharif had been saying during his rule.

“For the Kashmiris, Pakistan is the most important country for being our advocate, our supporter and sympathiser. We always remain worried about its safety, stability and integrity and do not want anyone to cast even an evil eye on our beloved country,” he said.

In reply to a question, Mr Haider doubted Jaish-e-Mohammad’s claim about the Pulwama attack, saying no Pakistan-based outfit had any connection with the incident.

“Whenever any incident occurs, people try in routine to take its credit [by claiming responsibility] … Taking credit without rhyme or reason amou­nts to sabotaging the indigenous character of Kashmiris’ struggle,” he said.

Mr Haider said Adil Dar, the alleged suicide bomber, was a local boy who had been treated by the Indian troops with contempt in the past and “this [attack] might have been done by that boy in retaliation”.

When asked to comment on the use of word ‘terrorism’ for the Pulwama attack by some people in Pakistan, the AJK premier said: “Some people have poor choice of words. Someone described Pulwama as tragedy and I am tempted to ask whether this is a tragedy or the death of around 400 Kashmiri youth?”

Pointing out that India had forcibly occupied Kashmir, he added: “It is a war zone and the UN charter fully empowers Kashmiris to take up arms against occupation.”

“The terrorists in Kashmir are the ones in uniform,” he said of Indian forces.

Mr Haider thanked the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for exposing India through a comprehensive resolution.

In reply to a question, he said his government would follow a similar action if any such outfit that the federal government believed was worth restrictions existed or operated from AJK.

“We will not allow any outfit or individual to create problems for the government of Pakistan,” he declared.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2019