KARACHI, Feb 2: The All-Parties Kashmir Solidarity Conference, held here on Thursday under the auspices of the Jamaat-i-Islami, has rejected the formulas of ‘self-governance’ and ‘United States of Kashmir’, claiming that such formulas and suggestions amounted to the government’s retreat on Kashmir issue.

The conference, held at the JI’s Karachi office, Idara Noor-i-Haq, was presided over by Abdul Rasheed Turabi, a former Amir of the party’s Azad Kashmir chapter.

Mamnoon Hussain of the PML-N, N.D. Khan of PPP, Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui of JI, Zubair Khan of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf, Allama Hassan Turabi of the Shia Ulema Council, Maulana Abdul Karim Abid, Hafiz Taqi and others spoke on the occasion.

Through a resolution adopted at the conference, the government was asked to stick to the country’s principled stand Kashmiris’ right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.

The resolution condemned the government’s ‘repentant’ attitude towards the Kashmir issue, maintaining that neither it reflected aspirations of Kashmiris nor did it honour wishes of Pakistani people. “A dictator is imposing borrowed decisions on the whole nation,” it remarked.

The resolution stated that the government’s policy on Kashmir was ‘deceptive’ and dividing Kashmiri people and leadership. It called for a joint struggle against the government to put it on the right track of advocating Pakistan’s case on Kashmir.

It asked the government to openly condemn the US strike on Bajaur and claim a reasonable compensation for those martyred in the incident.

It further told the government to force the Nato and US forces to leave the country immediately.

The speakers at the conference resolved that the Kashmir Day, on Feb 5, would be observed with national zeal and fervour.—PPI