ISLAMABAD, Sep 25 (APP):Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and President of PML-N Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Engineer Amir Muqam, on Friday said all constitutional stages in Azad Kashmir including the election of the president have been completed smoothly while urging political groups to resolve differences through dialogue instead of protests and sit-ins. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Amir Muqam welcomed the election of Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan as President …
Amir Muqam calls for focus on development, rejects protest politics
ISLAMABAD, Sep 25 (APP):Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and President of PML-N Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Engineer Amir Muqam, on Friday said all constitutional stages in Azad Kashmir including the election of the president have been completed smoothly while urging political groups to resolve differences through dialogue instead of protests and sit-ins.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Amir Muqam welcomed the election of Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan as President of Azad Kashmir and said the election process had sent a positive message in the region.
He said the people of Azad Kashmir had expressed confidence in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and thanked the people and all those who contributed to the electoral process. He also said the election of Prime Minister Barrister Iftikhar Gilani had been completed smoothly.
The minister said the federal government would continue supporting development and welfare projects in Azad Kashmir. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had provided clear planning for development initiatives and that Danish Schools were being established in Azad Kashmir at an estimated cost of Rs20 billion.
Amir Muqam said the government would continue to fulfil its commitments to the people of Azad Kashmir and stressed that differences should not prevent political forces from working together for public welfare.
“Protests and sit-ins cannot resolve problems; issues can be resolved through negotiations,” he said, urging those staging protests to become part of the political and democratic process.
He said the people of Azad Kashmir were directly affected by political tensions and called for avoiding further unrest and damage. He added that Pakistan-Azad Kashmir relations had remained strong and would continue to remain so.
The minister also spoke about the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calling on the political leadership to focus on terrorism, governance and development rather than protest politics.
He said terrorist incidents were increasing in the province and that practical measures were needed to address the security situation. He maintained that political rallies and protests could not resolve the problems facing the province.
Amir Muqam said the KP government should explain what it had done for education, healthcare, employment, institutional strengthening and development during the past 13 years.
He stressed that resources available to the provincial government should be spent on development and public welfare. He also paid tribute to police and security personnel for their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
The minister said police and security forces should be provided with greater powers and resources rather than being weakened or used for political purposes.
He urged people to hold their elected representatives accountable on the basis of their performance and practical work rather than political slogans.
Amir Muqam also opposed attempts to shut down Islamabad or disrupt the functioning of the airport and other key institutions through protests. He said the country should not be paralysed through demonstrations at D-Chowk.
He said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should raise their voice against terrorism and focus on issues affecting their families and province.
The minister welcomed the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership’s call for negotiations and said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also supported resolving political issues through dialogue.
He said the federal government stood with the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and would continue to support them in addressing their difficulties.
Amir Muqam called on political leaders to focus on development projects, employment opportunities, healthcare and education and said political workers should not be used for personal or political interests.
