President, PM, Dar vow all-out support to Kashmir cause

ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE/PESHAWAR: On the fifth anniversary of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5th August 2019 in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), the people and the government of Pakistan observed the ‘Youm-e- Istehsal’ (Day of Exploitation) on Monday.

In their special messages on the occasion, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong diplomatic, political and moral support to the Kashmir cause.

Dar has addressed letters to the leadership of the United Nations (UN) and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to apprise them of the grave consequences of Indian actions since 5th August, 2019. In these letters, the foreign minister has also called for implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to determine their own future.

In the run up to the ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’, the foreign secretary briefed the Islamabad-based diplomatic missions on the situation in IIOJ&K on August 2. He analyzed the situation from the perspective of international law, peace and security, and human rights.

To express solidarity with the oppressed people of IIOJ&K, a special ‘walk’ was held in Islamabad this morning along the Constitution Avenue, up to the Parliament House. Dar and Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan were guests of honor on this occasion. A range of activities were organized throughout the country to observe ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’. With the active participation of Pakistani and Kashmiri diaspora, Pakistan’s diplomatic missions around the world are also arranging special events to raise global awareness about the plight of the Kashmiri people.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday emphasized that granting due rights to the people of Kashmir and Palestine was the only way to maintain peace and stability in the region.

In his televised address to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Yaum-e-Istehsal, the prime minister said the day is not far away when both India and Israel will be bound to give due rights to the people of Palestine and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) as all ways other than this lead to total destruction.

He said that Pakistan was a nuclear power and that was part of its defence. However, he said Pakistan had never thought of aggression with regard to its nuclear power. “Therefore the better option is to adopt the peaceful way and sit together to find out the peaceful solution to the Kashmir dispute.” The prime minister pointed out that this occasion reminded us of the grave consequences of India’s illegal actions of 5th August, 2019 vis-à-vis Indian illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).

Ever since, he said today, in the IIOJ&K, efforts were being made to silence the genuine leadership of the Kashmiri people and muzzle the media. “The number of political prisoners remain in the thousands, while 14 political organizations have been outlawed.”

The harassment of innocent people, arbitrary detentions and the so-called ‘cordon and search operations have become a matter of routine. The Indian forces are operating with impunity, according to them under different draconian laws, he added.

PM Shehbaz vowed that until the Kashmiris get the basic rights and freedom, Pakistan will continue to extend the moral support and will continue to knock the doors of all the international institutions.

Paying tributes to the people of Kashmir, he said, “We salute to their struggle for freedom who had been bearing the atrocities and cruelties of the Indian armed forces for 77 years”. He also paid tributes the Hurriyat leaders including Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas, Sardar Ibrahim Khan, Mirwaiz Muhammad Yousuf, Syed Ali Gilani, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Maulana Abbas Ansari and all the young workers and leaders who raised their voices against the Indian atrocities.

“We salute to Asiya Andrabi, Yaseen Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Mussarat Alam Butt, and Burhan Wani for their struggle for freedom. As regards of the Palestine situation, the prime minister said more than 40,000 Palestinians had been martyred so far including thousands of children. The unarmed Palestinians are still being martyred everyday, he said.

Israel’s Prime Minister Natenyahu through his army, has broken the records of barbarism in Palestinians, he said, adding that recently, in Tehran, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was martyred.

In Pakistan, he said a day of mourning was observed and funeral prayers in absentia was performed across the country. He said the Imam of Aqsa Mosque, who talked about Ismail Haniyeh’ martyrdom had also been arrested.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that there was a need to restore the lost glory of all sports and re-live the golden era of the country’s supremacy in the fields of hockey and cricket.

Addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony of up-gradation work at the Gaddafi Stadium here at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) headquarters, he said it could be achieved by ensuring merit and right restructuring of the Men’s cricket team, adding that the national cricket team should regain its lost stature in the international cricket.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Senior Minister Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb, parliamentarians, government functionaries and PCB officials were also present.

Shehbaz Sharif, stressing to ensure merit in the team selection, said that there should be no room for nepotism and jobbery. The PM said he had complete faith in Federal Interior Minister/PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to put the national cricket on the winning track with his utmost dedication and excellent work ethic.

Shehbaz Sharif said the up-gradation of Gaddafi stadium on modern lines was a positive initiative, adding that: “Our cricket stadiums must meet the international standards”. Lauding PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi for his initiative of bringing the cricketing facilities at par with the standard, maintained by other countries, the prime minister expressed the hope that Mohsin Naqvi would complete the up-gradation of cricket stadiums with the same commitment and speed with which he completed various development projects in the province during his tenure as Punjab caretaker chief minister.

Meanwhile, Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan on Monday called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. During the meeting, different matters pertaining to Punjab province, besides overall situation in the country, including political, were discussed, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar said that Pakistan would continue to support Kashmiris’ just struggle for right to self-determination till freedom from illegal Indian rule.

He was addressing a press conference along with Federal Minister of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam here Monday. He said that Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan under Amir Muqam had launched a historic campaign on the occasion of Yaum-e-Istehsal to highlight Indian atrocities in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).

Amir Muqam thanked the whole nation for supporting Kashmiris and highlighting the case of innocent Kashmiris at global level for the attention of international community towards human rights violation for last five years. He also hailed the efforts of all provincial governments, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir governments for holding protest rallies, seminars, walks and other programmes for showing solidarity with Kashmiri brothers and sisters.

At the end of the press conference, a documentary on Unheard-The Invisible Trauma of Kashmiris was shown which highlighted the atrocities committed by Indian occupation forces since partition of the subcontinent.

Meanwhile, rallies and functions were arranged in Peshawar and elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) including Hangu, Kalaya; Haripur, Nowshera, Ghallanai, Batkhela and other places on Monday to express solidarity with Kashmiris in connection with Youm-e-Istehsal Kashmir.