LAHORE, Oct 17 (APP): Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ch Barjees Tahir said on Monday that Pakistan would continue to extend political, moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris in their struggle for right to
self-determination.
Addressing lawyers at the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), he said that the nation was united over the Kashmir issue and no politics was being played on it.
He said that during the latest uprising in Kashmir, 15,000 Kashmiris had been injured and more than 100 lost their eyesight due to use of pellet gun.
He said that Kashmiris had not been given their right to
self-determination as per the UN resolutions, which had been endorsed for 11 times. Now Kashmiris are demanding justice from the world community, he added.
The minister said that India claimed that Kashmir was an integral part of it. “If it is so then why India has deployed more then 800,000 troops in Kashmir,” he questioned.
He said that Kashmir was an unfinished agenda of the Partition and Kashmiris were struggling for the past 70 years for their right to self-determination. Today, their fifth generation is chanting slogans in favour of Pakistan, he added.
He said that the government was not ignorant of the Kashmir situation and it took various steps for raising the issue at international and national forums.
He said that after martyrdom of Burhan Wani, the cabinet meeting was held and it announced observing a black day on July 20 against the Indian atrocities against innocent Kashmiris.
The minister said that the government had directed all its ambassadors to raise the Kashmir issue, while delegations had also been sent abroad for the purpose.
He said that the prime minister drew the attention of the world community to the Kashmir issue in his address to United Nations General Assembly and asked them to play their role for resolving the issue.
He said that the Kashmir dispute should be settled through dialogue, otherwise it could become flashpoint for another war.
LHCBA President Rana Zia Abdur Rehman, Awami National Party General Secretary Ehsan Wyne, LHCBA Committee Chairman Khawaja Mehmood, Manzoor Gillani, Ahmad Owais and others also addressed the gathering.
