MUZAFFARABAD, October 15 (APP): President Mamnoon Hussain Saturday called upon the international community to take serious notice of Indian atrocities in the Indian Occupied Kashmir and play its role for the resolution of Kashmir issue to avoid any human catastrophe in the region.
Addressing a joint sitting of AJK Legislative Assembly and Kashmir Council here, he expressed his hope that the world would awake now and play its role after unprecedented sacrifices of the Kashmiri people.
“The aggressor feels free to continue violating human rights and perpetrate atrocities because the international conscience is silent. But I hope that it will awake following an unprecedented movement by the Kashmiri people,” the President said.
“When people from all walks of life of any nation rise against
occupation, like those of Kashmiris, no power can deprive them of their freedom and I hope the freedom is not much far from the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
He said it was an honour for him to come on the land of a nation having a history of unprecedented struggle for their freedom and paid tributes to martyrs including young Burhan Wani and others.
“The people of Kashmir are facing Indian tanks with stones, elders are witnessing deaths of their children, mothers are mourning the bloodshed of their sons and women are facing molestation,” Mamnoon said and saluted the Kashmiri people for their unprecedented sacrifices.
He said the blood of young Burhan Wani had taken the freedom struggle into a new phase where, the international conscience could no more remain indifferent.
President Mamnoon viewed that when the freedom movements reach such a stage to awake the conscience of even occupational forces, the country claiming to be the world’s biggest democracy yet lacked this sense.
He demanded the Indian government to repeal all draconian laws, ban the use of lethal weapons against masses, lift the longest curfew and allow international human rights activists and observers to enter the valley.
He also demanded demilitarization of Kashmir and said that Pakistan was ready to talk to India for the purpose but pointed out that barbarism and negotiations could not go together.
The president said the solution of the conflict could be only possible through a free and fair plebiscite under United Nations (UN) and recalled that Indian premier Jawahar Lal Nehru himself had taken the issue to UN.
He also acknowledged the problems and sacrifices of the people living alongside the Line of Control (LOC) and said their lives were a sole example in the world history and that those brave people would not be left alone.
He said the Pakistani and Kashmiri people were bonded
with historical, religious and geographical relations that was
a ground reality and these strong relations cannot be
forgotten.
“Support of Kashmir freedom struggle is part of our
belief and honor. Neither we can forget the sanctity of Hazrat Bal nor we can ignore the sacrifices of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the President added saying the people of Pakistan will continue to support freedom movement.
He also recalled the destruction caused by October 2005
earthquake in Azad Kashmir and expressed his pleasure over
the reconstruction and development, he witnessed here and
added that the federal government would continue its generous support to AJK government.
Meanwhile, during a meeting with Members of the
Legislative Assembly of AJK here, the President said that with
the completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
projects, Pakistan including Azad Kashmir would witness an
unprecedented era of progress and Pakistan would become
the most important country in the region.
President AJK Muhammad Masood Khan, Prime Minister AJK
Raja Farooq Haider Khan and Speaker AJK Shah Ghulam Qadir were also present during the meeting.
President Mamnoon said that CPEC would open up new
avenues for progress and Gwadar Port would be fully functional by the end of this year.
He said that CPEC was a landmark project which included
Gwadar airport, infrastructure and energy projects and hoped that the whole country including AJK would get rid of the menace of load-shedding upon completion of ongoing projects by 2018.
President Mamnoon said that corruption was the basic
cause of retarding progress in the country in the past and
expressed his satisfaction that the present government was
proceeding in the right direction and progress and prosperity
was our destiny.
He urged the women to acquire education and play their
due role in the development of the country while at the same time upholding their cultural values and traditions.
The president and prime minister of AJK including
members of Legislative Assembly apprised President Mamnoon Hussain about their problems particularly relating to financial li tations and lack of electricity.
They said that his visit was an expression of solidarity
to the people of Kashmir and this would boost their morale and spirits.
They also praised President Mamnoon Hussain’s speech to
the joint sitting of Kashmir Council and Legislative Assembly
which effectively reflected the sentiments of the Kashmiris
and helped to highlight the Kashmir issue in its true
perspective at the global level.
President Mamnoon Hussain assured the president, prime
minister of AJK and members of Legislative Assembly that he
would play his due role in resolution of their problems.
The president declared that he would help rebuilt one of
the educational institutions in AJK destroyed during the 2005
earthquake out of Presidency’s official fund.
The President and Prime Minister of AJK also jointly
called on President Mamnoon Hussain. During the meeting,
matters relating to Azad Kashmir and the independence struggle of the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) were discussed.
AJK President Muhammad Masood Khan and Prime Minister
Raja Farooq Haider Khan said President Mamnoon’s visit to Azad Kashmir was an expression of solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
The visit was a reaffirmation of Pakistan’s commitment
and resolve to extend full moral, political and diplomatic
support to the Kashmiris’ legitimate struggle for attainment
of their right of self-determination in accordance with the
United Nations resolutions, they added.
They further said that President Mamnoon Hussain’s visit
would infuse new life into the freedom struggle of the people
of Kashmir.
