India should refrain from making CPEC controversial: AJK President

India should refrain from making CPEC controversial: AJK President
APP19-24 ISLAMABAD: March 24 - President Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan addressing a Joint Press Conference along with British Member Of Parliament, Afzal Khan. APP

ISLAMABAD, March 24 (APP):President Azad Kashmir Sardar Muhammad Masood Khan Saturday said India should refrain from making China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) controversial as under international laws, development works could be carried out in disputed territories.
Addressing a press conference accompanied by Member of European and British Parliament Afzal Khan, he hoped that Kashmir would become the part of CPEC very soon.
He called upon the international community to play its due role against the ongoing human rights violations by the Indian forces in Indian occupied Kashmir.
He said the UK was an important member of the United Nations’ Security Council so it should play a role to resolve the Kashmir issue according to the UN resolutions.
AJK president said India wanted to create tension by continuously attacking innocent people at the Line of Control (LoC). “We are thankful to the Labour Party which made Kashmir dispute part of its manifesto.”
He asked the House of Commons to help for resolving the dispute, adding that Indian government had closed the doors of negotiation and the struggle would continue till the freedom of Kashmir.
He said compensatory amount for the victims of Indian firing at the LoC was being increased threefold. It had been principally decided to build concrete bunkers alongside every home for what allocation had already been made.
Masood Khan said Pakistan and India could not considered equal at the LoC because India had adopted aggressive policy while Pakistan retaliating the Indian aggression in its defense.
“Indian forces have created insurgency at the LoC due to the advent of elections in India,” he added.
Masood Khan criticized the western powers for keeping mum over the issue of Kashmir for sake of their interests related to trade with India.
He urged the overseas Pakistanis to get united only for progress and prosperity of Pakistan and resolve the Kashmir issue according to the resolution of UN instead of politicizing it.
He said consequent to Indian atrocities at the LoC, Pakistan should not give up its positive role as targeting innocent civilians could not be allowed.
Masood Khan said the government of Pakistan was playing its role for the solution of Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of Kashmiris but there was a dire need to gear up those efforts at diplomatic level.
Speaking on the occasion, Afzal Khan said Pakistani government had conferred on him Sitara-i-Quaid-e-Azam Award which was an honour for him as well as the overseas Pakistanis.
He said the UK was historic and influential country and it should play its positive role for the resolution of Kashmir issue as it was an unaccomplished agenda of the partition of the subcontinent.
He said self-determination was basic demand of the Kashmiris that should be fulfilled according to their will and that there should be no compromise over it.
“India should come up for dialogue as it is not an issue of Kashmir, Pakistan or India rather it is the matter of world peace. We should divert our resources towards public instead of purchasing the weapons,” he added.
To a question about the ongoing political situation in Pakistan, Afzal Khan said the UK was in favour of democracy.
For the last 70 year, he said Indian atrocities were increasing day by day in Kashmir and the matter could not be taken to its logical end.
He said due the current situation in Kashmir whole subcontinent was faced with the problem.
Afzal Khan said after the 9/11, western media also acting against the Muslims with 99 percent of its content focused against Muslims. Even the irresponsible attitude of the political leadership was also the reason being anti-Muslim campaign.
Regarding the distribution of letter to declare the Muslims as terrorists, he said four members of the UK parliament had taken notice of the letter and after that political parties had also condemned the act.
Afzal Khan said institutions were working to search out the responsible for this letter.
To another question regarding the overseas Pakistanis, he said overseas Pakistanis should participate in the local politics to become strong and play their role for strengthening Pakistan and help resolve the Kashmir issue.
“Our hearts beat with Pakistan and the one who desires to do politics of Pakistan should come and play his role while being in the country,” he added.

APP Services