MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has exhorted students to play their role in gearing up efforts for the success of ongoing Kashmir liberation movement and spread the voice of their oppressed brethren.

He was addressing the 4th convocation of University of Poonch (UoP) in the town of Rawalakot on Tuesday.

The president awarded masters and bachelors’ degrees in different disciplines to a total of 1,064 students. Four students were also awarded doctorate degrees while 30 were awarded gold medals.

Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Mohammad Rasul Jan, Registrar Prof Dr Imtiaz, VC University of Management Sciences Kotli Prof Dr Syed Dilnawaz Ahmed Gardezi, heads of departments, faculty members and parents were alsopresenton the occasion.

President Khan reminded the students that their brethren in the India occupied territory were faced with barbarism at the hands of occupation troops and they were looking towards the youth in the liberated territory for the projection of the realisation of their supreme struggle for freedom.

He said India had stripped the occupied Jammu and Kashmir of its identity under its action of Aug 5 and by clamping an indefinite curfew and media blackout had practically turned the territory into a prison for its inhabitants. He lamented that more than 13,000 Kashmiri youth had been arrested and detained in different prisons in India.

“Due to some compulsions, we cannot breach the Line of Control to reach to the rescue of our brethren across the divide but we can smoothly pass on their message to the international community through our speech, pen, cell phone and laptop,” he said.

Exposing the designs of India’s Hindu fanatic regime, Mr Khan said it wanted to launch aggression against Pakistan and AJK to punish the people in this part for their unwavering support to the ongoing struggle in occupied Kashmir.

“We need to prepare ourselves to thwart these heinous designs of the enemy, and to defend every inch of our homeland,” he said.

He also urged the students to prepare themselves to counter the negative campaign going on against Islam and the Muslims at the global level.

“Intentionally or unintentionally, some powers are portraying the Muslims as terrorists and extremists which bears no reality,” he said.

The president emphasised that the students should gain expertise in commerce, business, science and technology which had wide scope in the job market and thus serve their country, society and their presents.

Earlier, UoP VC informed the audience that degree programmes in 38 disciplines were being conducted in the institution.

He said it was a matter of pride that faculty members of the varsity had contributed their research papers to more than 150 local and foreign journals and received research grant of record Rs79 million.

He said a total of 11 faculty members had been sent abroad for higher education in the ongoing year.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2019