MUZAFFARABAD: Former joint secretary of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Khawaja Farooq Ahmed has linked opposition’s “turbulent activities” to dislodge Prime Minister Imran Khan with his “bold stance on issues of Pakistan’s vital national interests, including Kashmir, in accordance with the wishes of more than 235 million Pakistanis and Kashmiris”.

“The puppet opposition leaders are dancing to the tune of the forces averse to the policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan based on self respect of his nation and national sovereignty,” said Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, who is minister for local government and rural development in the PTI-led AJK government.

Talking to newsmen on Wednesday, he asserted that ever since assuming office, PM Khan had not missed a single occasionto keep Kashmir issue in focus and draw attention of the international community towards unrelenting oppression and crimes against humanity in the illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Ahmed recalled that even the ‘no hostility with India’ commitment in the recently spelt out National Security Policy, PM Khan had made it clear thatPakistan remained steadfast in its moral, diplomatic, political and legal support to the Kashmiri people until they achieved their right to self-determination guaranteed by the international community under the UN Security Council resolutions.

“Pakistan has always been the advocate of the Kashmiris, but this advocate has never found such a convincing and forceful voice before Imran Khan took over its reins,” he maintained.

Referring to PM Khan’s recent speech in Mailsi, the PTI leader maintained that no leader had ever questioned the double standards of the international community on the issue of Kashmir in such a plausible manner.

“On the one hand there is a leader who candauntlessly plead the case of his nation and on the other hand there are the so-called politicians who can compromise anything for their lust for power,” he said.

Mr Ahmed was of the view that the people of Pakistan and Kashmir were not naive or immature that they could not understand why the opposition leaders, particularly from the PPP and PML-N who had been dragging each other through the mud until recently, had all of a sudden joined forces to topple PM Khan’s government.

“It’s because some western nations are visibly unhappy with the prime minister for his unequivocal stance on different global issues and they are using these power-hungry corrupt politicians to create unrest in the country,” he added.

He however predicted that the no-trust move would meet with disaster and PM Khan who had proved himself as a man of strong nerves would once again come out triumphant.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2022