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ISLAMABAD, Feb 05 (APP): Federal Minister for Communications and President of the Istehkam Pakistan Party (IPP) Abdul Aleem Khan said on Thursday that the future of Kashmir should be determined by the Kashmiri people themselves, stressing that Pakistan’s government, institutions and public stand in solidarity with them.
In a statement issued on Kashmir Solidarity Day, Aleem Khan said granting Kashmiris their right to self-determination was now a responsibility of the international community.
He added that Pakistan’s annual observance of Feb 5 reflected national support for Kashmir, recalling Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s description of Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein”.
He emphasised that a resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with United Nations resolutions was essential for lasting regional peace. The minister also criticised Indian policies in the region, saying they had contributed to instability.
Separately, the IPP Punjab chapter organised a Kashmir Solidarity Rally in Lahore. The rally, presided over by party leaders including IPP Lahore President Malik Zaman Naseeb, Provincial Vice President Mian Junaid Zulfiqar and Women’s Wing leaders Taskeen Khakwani and Dr Javeria Suharwardi, began at Masjid-e-Shuhada on Mall Road and concluded outside the Punjab Assembly.
Participants carried national, party and Kashmiri flags and raised slogans expressing solidarity with Kashmiris. Party leaders addressing the gathering reiterated support for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination and called for international attention to the issue.
A number of IPP office-bearers and workers, including representatives from youth, minority and women’s wings, attended the rally. Speakers said the party would continue raising the Kashmir issue at national and international forums.