LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Sirajul Haq has said though Islamabad has surrendered the Kashmir cause, the nation is standing shoulder to shoulder with the freedom struggle of the people of the Valley.

“I appeal to the nation to mark the Kashmir Solidarity Day with a new zeal and commitment on Feb 5 to convey a clear message to New Delhi on Kashmir cause,” the JI chief said while addressing a reception held in honour of the leadership of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference at Mansoora here on Monday.

“People of Pakistan must come out of their homes on Feb 5 to tell the butcher of Gujarat [prime minister of India] that we will never leave our Kashmiri brethren alone in their fight to get freedom from Indian yoke. Pakistan is body and Kashmir is its soul. Kashmir is a matter of completion of Pakistan,” he said.

Mr Haq said the JI had never been in favour of giving provincial status to Gilgit Baltistan (GB) until the settlement of the Kashmir issue according to the UN resolutions. He said declaring GB a province of Pakistan would ultimately weaken Islamabad’s moral and legal stance on the Kashmir issue.

He said Pakistan should facilitate Kashmiri leadership to raise the issue internationally instead of leaving it to Pakistani politicians and diplomats.

Haq condemned the bomb blast at a Peshawar mosque in the strongest words and termed it another barbaric and inhuman act in the country’s history, offering condolences to the families of martyrs and praying for the quick recovery of the injured.

The JI chief also criticised the massive hike in the petroleum products’ price and demanded the government to take it back. The inflation, he said, was the result of the government’s ill-conceived economic policies. Instead of demanding sacrifices from the poor masses, he said
the ruling elite should also make sacrifices this time.

He said the ruling elite would never compromise on their protocols and the luxurious lifestyle they are enjoying at the expense of the taxpayers’ money.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2023