Kashmiris observe Youm-e-Ilhaq-e-Pakistan today

ISLAMABAD: Kashmiris living in Azad Kashmir, held Kashmir, Pakistan and all over the world will observe the Day of Annexation to Pakistan (Youm-e-Ilhaq-e-Pakistan) today (July 19, Tuesday).

The people across Pakistan will also observe Youm-e-Ilhaq-e-Pakistan to show solidarity with their Kashmiri brethren. Special prayers will be arranged for the independence of Kashmiris. Political, religious parties and civil society organisations will hold different events to show solidarity with the Kashmiris. The people of Kashmir observed Youm-e-Ilhaq-e-Pakistan on July 19, 1948 and they day has been observed every year since then.

Meanwhile, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution expressing solidarity with the Kashmiris and condemning the killings, arrests and maiming of Kashmiris by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir, calling on the UN to implement its resolutions immediately and hold an impartial plebiscite in the held valley.

The resolution jointly moved by senators, Mushahid Hussain Sayed of PML-Q and PPP’s Sehar Kamran, was unanimously adopted by the House stating that ‘the Senate condemns the brutal use of force by Indian troops on innocent Kashmiris which resulted in deaths of innocent people’. It was a private members day, as the Senate commenced its 250th session.

“The UN must get its resolutions implemented immediately and hold a transparent plebiscite in the valley under its own supervision,” said Mushahid, adding, “The recent wave of brutal and extra-judicial killings of Kashmiri Muslims and maiming of boys and girls by Indian forces in Indian held Kashmir is not acceptable,” the resolution said.

The Senate called upon the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), international human rights watchdogs and international community to play their due role in curbing the Indian atrocities on innocent people by Indian troops.

The House called on the government to take up the issue at the international level besides making efforts to resolve the issue at diplomatic level, saying the Indian atrocities on innocent Kashmiris, who were fighting for their right to self-determination, had crossed all the limits of decency that could not be overlooked.

The Senate passed another resolution paying glowing tributes to Pakistan’s top philanthropist late Abdus Sattar Edhi. The lawmakers were also unanimous in saying that while the nation was often divided on social, ethnic and religious strife, Edhi won respect from every strata of the society for an ascetic lifestyle that was only devoted to helping the poor regardless of their background.

Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani also constituted a committee that would pursue the case that Edhi be given a Nobel Prize for his services to the humanity, which was acknowledged across the globe. The committee would comprise former Senate chairmen Muhammad Mian Soomro, Waseem Sajjad, Dr Farooq H Naek, Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, the Leader of the House in Senate Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq and the Leader of Opposition in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan.

When pointed out by PTI’s Senator Muhammad Azam Swati that the Nobel Prize could not be awarded posthumously, the chairman said whether it was awarded after the death or not, the committee would pursue the case. Rabbani also announced that each senator would contribute Rs20,000 from his/her salary, through which four ambulances would be purchased for the Edhi centres in each province.

The resolution moved by the leader of the house described Edhi as a national hero and said his death was a loss not only for Pakistan but the entire humanity.

“Edhi’s services for the humanity will always be remembered. Despite his enormous fame and vast sums of money, Edhi adhered to a very simple lifestyle. Edhi had a traditional Islamic background yet he had an open and progressive mind on a number of sensitive social issues,” it added.

The lawmakers belonging to different political parties floated a proposal that content on the life and services of the late Ehdi be included in the national curriculum, besides constructing a national monument after his name as well pursuing his case that he should be given the Nobel Prize.

PPP’s Senator Saeed Ghani, PML-Q’s Mushahid Hussain, Ilyas Bilour of ANP, the National Party’s Hasil Bizenjo, Mushahdiullah Khan, Nehal Hashmi of PML-N, PkMAP’s Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, Khalida Perveen of PPP and JUI-F’s Hafiz Hamdullah also spoke to pay tributes to the top social worker.

The House also passed a unanimous resolution acknowledging the great contributions of Amjad Sabri Shaheed as a Qawwal, artist, and humanitarian. The resolution said that Sabri brought many laurels to Pakistan as his contributions enriched the culture of the country.

“His death is a great loss, not just for his family but also for Pakistan and the entire Muslim world. Amjad Sabri presented the work of his father and uncle in a new light, which helped the younger generation connect to Qawwali, something which had not happened earlier,” it added.

“Sabri’s death is a great loss to the world of Qawwali but his mesmerizing kalams and Qawwalis will never let him die in the hearts of his fans,” it said, adding “Senate expresses its strong condemnation of murder of Amjad Sabri and urges Sindh, federal governments and law enforcement agencies to take immediate action to apprehend all the culprits involved in the heinous murder.”

Earlier, the House Business Advisory Committee (HBAC) of the Senate gave formal approval to the amendments to the Rules of Procedure in Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012 for constitution of a Public Accounts Committee of the Upper House of Parliament.

However, the HBAC decided that the proposed amendments would be laid before the House for soliciting final approval. The committee hoped that in two weeks the government would respond on the issue of joint Public Accounts Committee. The committee meeting was presided over by the Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani.