India cannot hoodwink world by holding G20 summit in IIOJK: AJK PM

MIRPUR (AJK) Mar 07 (APP): Azad Jammu Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, while terming Jammu Kashmir an internationally-recognized disputed territory, said the Indian government had no justification whatsoever to hold a G20 summit in Srinagar or elsewhere in the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Addressing a press conference in Mirpur, AJK on Tuesday, he said India could hoodwink the world by holding such events in the region. Condemning in strong terms the BJP government’s crafty move, he said, “India has no moral, diplomatic and political justification to hold such a conference in a disputed state.”

Referring to the Modi government’s unilateral decision to abrogate article 370 of the Indian constitution, AJK PM said the move was a sheer injustice to the people of occupied Kashmir. He, however, maintained that the Kashmiris had rejected the move and refused to accept the Indian dictates.

While mentioning various development projects of his government, Tanveer Ilyas said an international standard airport would be built in Mirpur.

“Mirpur Dry Port will be inaugurated next week”, he said, adding that bus service to Gilgat was also an important initiative of the government.

He said the government has sought 200,000 kanals of agricultural land from the Sindh government and 10,000 kanals of land for residential facilities of the Kashmiri community settled in the port city of Karachi.

He said the government has also allocated land for the construction of Gilgit Baltistan and Sindh House in Azad Kashmir.

Tanveer Ilyas said Mirpur is a city of overseas Kashmiris and that the government would utilize all available resources for the development of the city besides addressing the issue faced by the Kashmiri diaspora.

Terming differences of opinion as the essence of a democratic society, he said that promoting a culture of tolerance has been the first and foremost preference of the incumbent government. “Political parties may have a different viewpoint on different issues but this difference of opinion should not lead to enmity”, he said.

He said the AJK government was trying to create a corruption-free society in the region. “Even if the accountability process was damaged by the legislation of the previous governments, we will correct the course to ensure across-the-board accountability”, he added.

He said that the government was working to get Maharaja’s properties in Punjab and other provinces back under its ownership. He said that efforts were also afoot to improve the education system across Azad Kashmir.

Hailing the journalist community’s role in society, AJK PM said that the journalists of Azad Kashmir would be given all the facilities and privileges to perform their duties. He said that residential colonies would be built for the journalists.

AJK Energy Development Minister Chaudhry Arshad Hussain, newly-elected District Council Chairman Raja Naveed Akhtar Goga, and Deputy Mayor Mohammad Ramzan Chaghatai were also present on the occasion.

APP Services