ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday said that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz were politically immature and they were totally unaware of the history of Kashmir and Kashmiris’ struggle for freedom.

Commenting on speeches made by Mr Bhutto-Zardari and Ms Nawaz during the AJK election campaign, he said both of them were trying to replace their parents in politics, who had looted and plundered billions from the exchequer while in power.

Maryam’s father had even been declared an absconder by courts of the country, he said.

Mr Fawad said that the PPP and the PML-N had ruled Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) for 10 years and they should have better informed the masses about their governments’ performance. As they had nothing to their credit in that regard, they were hurling political satire, the minister said.

“The two parties have neither any political ideology nor any objective, as is evident from the direction-less speeches of their leadership. Those having ruled the country for over 30 years do not know about their policy,” he said.

The minister questioned how could the opposition leaders, who were afraid even of mentioning the name of Indian spy Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav during their respective tenures in the government, devise policies for the country.

On the contrary, he said, Prime Minister Khan was the true ambassador of Kashmir.

“Even today Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being given a befitting answer as a leader like Imran Khan is ruling the country,” he said.

“It is Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has again internationalised the Kashmir issue by raising it at all forums, including Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and UN Security Council,” Mr Fawad said. The minister said how could those having money and assets abroad, protect the ideology of Pakistan.

The people of Kashmir, he said, could no more be deceived as broken roads along with lack of health and education facilities all across the AJK spoke volumes about the two parties’ apathy towards them.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2021