QUETTA: Chairman of the Parliament’s Special Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Khan Afridi on Tuesday alleged that India was conspiring to create unrest in Pakistan in the name of religion, sect and ethnicity. He also accused the opposition of furthering the Indian agenda.

Speaking at a youth conference on the Kashmir issue here, he said: “We need to project Pakistan’s culture as an arsenal in the war of narratives. The enemy is working on our fault lines, but the government is countering and thwarting its conspiracies.”

He criticised the recently formed alliance of opposition parties, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), saying that the opposition should raise the issues in parliament.

He accused the opposition parties of targeting the country’s armed forces and other institutions. The Kashmir issue was not on the agenda of the opposition which showed its leaders’ ignorance towards important national issues.

Talking about Balochistan, Mr Afridi said Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken important steps to protect underdeveloped areas of the province. “Balochistan is a bouquet of flowers which reflects the true picture of Pakistani society.”

He said there was a need for engaging the youth in Balochistan in positive activities. “Young people in Balochsitan have excelled in all areas and we are proud of them.”

Mr Afridi said the prime minister had launched a new visa regime for promotion of tourism in the country.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2020