ISLAMABAD, Feb 03 (APP):Legislators in National Assembly Monday initiated debate on the Kashmir issue strongly criticizing India for its decades long massive violations of human rights of Kashmiris .
Opening the debate, Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Fakhar Imam said Quaid-e-Azam had stated that partition plan of Indian sub-continent would not be complete without the resolution of Kashmir issue according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
He said under the partition plan it was decided that Muslim majority areas would be part of Pakistan and Hindu majority areas would be included in India.
The states in pre-partition India also took their decision and majority of states acceded to India, he added. However, the decision on three Muslim majority states including Kashmir could not be taken even till August 14, 1947.
He said Muslim Kashmiris rose against Maharaja Hari Singh when he decided that Kashmir would accede to India.
As the war started on Kashmir between India and Pakistan in 1947, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru took the matter to United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
The UN declared Jammu and Kashmir a disputed territory and Nehru agreed to hold plebiscite in Kashmir but later backed out of its stance.
He said India and Pakistan fought four wars on Kashmir, adding the UNSC reaffirmed stance of Pakistan in 2019 that Kashmir was a disputed territory.
Fakhar said under the article 370 of its constitution, India gave special status to Kashmir but last year it withdrew that status.
He said after the rigging of elections by India in occupied Kashmir in 1998, Kashmiris rose up against Indian occupation and more than 100,000 people sacrificed their lives.
India had been keeping one million troops in occupied Kashmir since 1988 and massively violated human rights violations and tortured Kashmiris and women were raped, he observed.
He said when India violated Pakistani airspace last year, Pakistan shot down two of its planes and captured one of its pilot but later, on the orders of Prime Minister Imran Khan he was released.
Talking about US-Pakistan ties, he noted that when the United States needed Pakistan it contacted it for support on the Afghanistan issue.
Fakhar said Pakistanis were united on the issues of Kashmir and friendship with China.
China had become an economic giant with continuous growth of seven to eight percent for the last many years, he added.
He told that the United Nations report had exposed the cruel face of India and the human rights violations in occupied Kashmir.
Fakhar was of the view that India had destroyed the economy of Kashmir and its tourism industry especially its apple production and handicrafts industry.
Khawaja Asif said he was a Kashmiri and his constituency was on the working boundary of Pakistan and India.
He said Pakistan was committed to the Kashmir cause and it had invested heavily in terms of its military and diplomatic resources for the last 70 years.
He said Kashmiris had struggled for their freedom from the Dogra Raj and then from India and they rendered countless sacrifices.
In the recent past, people in India took to the streets in millions in the support of Kashmiris, he noted.
Khawaja Asif said India had turned Kashmir into a jail, adding Pakistan had formidable armed forces to defend the country.
He lamented that the Islamic countries except Iran, Turkey and Malaysia did not come out in support on the issue of Kashmir.
He said the house should send a strong message on Kashmir and urged the government to launch another round of diplomatic initiative to seek help of the international community on the issue.Member National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said Pakistani nation stood with Kashmiris, adding it was heart rending that India was committing human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir.
He said Kashmir had become a flashpoint and the international community should take notice of the grave situation in the Kashmir valley occupied by India.
Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur said hearts of Pakistanis beat with Kashmiris.
He saluted Kashmiris for the sacrifices they had given for gaining their freedom, adding Kashmir issue was put on the back-burner by the previous governments but the present government effectively highlighted the Kashmir issue at the international forums.
He lauded the speech of Prime Minister Imran Khan at the United Nations General Assembly and said the world had accepted the stance of Pakistan on Kashmir.
The leadership of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) acknowledged efforts of the prime minister for continuously raising the Kashmir issue.
He said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi regularly attended the meetings of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (IOC) and other forums to advocate the cause of Kashmiris.
Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali said Kashmiris always fought for Pakistan and Kashmir was a national issue and every Pakistani should rise on the occasion and extend support to the Kashmiris.
Abid Raza urged the government to raise the Kashmir issue at the international forums.
Kashmiris felt honor to bury their martyrs in Pakistani flag, he added.
Nawab Yousuf Talpur said delegations of members of Parliament should be sent to different world capitals to apprise them about the Kashmir issue.
Salahuddin Ayubi said Kashmir was a humanitarian issue and the world should raise its voice for the fundamental rights of Kashmiris.
He called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi an anti-Muslim person.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said a well-thought plan was needed to get back Jammu and Kashmir from India.
He repeated the statement of Quaid-e-Azam who had stated that Kashmir and Palestine issues should be resolved according to the aspirations of the Kashmiri and Palestinian people.
Kashmiris wanted to become part of Pakistan, he said adding India was using rape as a weapon of war and there were incidents of rape of elderly women and young girls by Indian troops.
He said many of the Kashmiri leaders were in incarceration for more than a decade, adding every Pakistani was part of the Pakistan’s armed forces and they were ready to give any sacrifice for the freedom of Kashmiris.
The minister said all parties in the Parliament were united for the Kashmir cause.
Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri said Israel had illegally occupied Palestine which would be a free country one day.
