ISLAMABAD: When the heads of all parliamentary parties met in the federal capital today to deliberate on Indian atrocities in held Kashmir and aggression along the Line of Control (LoC), they all agreed that there was no prospect of compromise in sight over Pakistan’s security and Kashmir issue.
Parliamentary party meet also decides to make committee on national security
A joint statement released after the high-level meeting announced that Pakistan would continue to condemn human rights violation in the held Kashmir by Indian forces on every platform.
Pakistan would urge the international policy-and-decision-makers to play their role in a bid to push rising Kashmir issue, towards a realistic solution, the joint statement said.
It said Pakistan would demand to send a United Nations (UN) Rights Mission to occupied Kashmir valley as soon as possible.
Pakistan would insist UN Military Observer Group investigate repeated ceasefire violation by India along the LoC that divides the Kashmir between the two neighbouring countries, according to the parliamentary parties’ joint statement.
India was trying to distract world’s attention from the issue of Kashmir by raising the issue of cross-border militancy at LoC, it said.
More than 700 Kashmiri civilians have lost their eyesight in held Kashmir due to the barbaric use of pellet guns by Indian troops, the statement said.
Pakistan condemned Indian interference in the international matters of Balochistan, the joint statement maintained.
Differences set aside for Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and heads of parliamentary parties joined their heads on Monday to discuss human rights violation in Indian-held Kashmir and mounting escalation along the Line of Control (LoC) between Pakistan and India.
Heads and representatives of the country’s top political parties including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), PML-Q (Quaid-e-Azam group), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan, Jamaat-e-Islami, National Party of Pakistan, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) and others were present in the meeting to form a national alliance on pressing regional issues. However, Sheikh Rasheed of Awami Muslim League (AML) was not invited.
Television footage showed the prime minister greeting senior political leaders — including opposition party members who launched a campaign to remove him from office.
They assured Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of their complete support during a crucial period.
The PPP delegation at the meeting today was headed by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and included Sherry Rehman, Hina Rabbani and Khursheed Shah.
While Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Sheireen Mazari represented PTI at the conference, Dr Farooq Sattar represented the MQM and Siraj-ul-haq of JI also attended.
Members of government present included the prime minister, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar Khan.
Nawaz gets support from opposition
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who attended the parliamentary party meeting for the first time clarified that his party would support PML-N over escalating Indian aggression along the LoC despite differences on other matters.
“Kashmir conflict cannot be resolved forcefully,” Bilawal said and added, “This is a turning point in Pak-India relations.”
He said, “A united Pakistan and leadership can tackle the Indian aggression along the borders.”
Addressing during the meeting, PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, “Pakistan has not been sidelined. In fact, India boycotted a peace platform like South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).”
He said, “Delhi knows that use of military cannot unravel issues in the region and even then India used aggression along the LoC.”
Qureshi recalled that even the 1999 Kargil War could not sabotage the Indus Water Treaty and that India showed a non-serious attitude over the accord.
Aitzaz Ahsan of PPP congratulated PM Nawaz on successfully organising an All Parties’ Conference (APC) when it was highly needed.
“We are with the government on the issue of Kashmir, which should be resolved as per the aspiration of the Kashmiri people only,” said Ahsan.
Addressing the conference Chairman JUI-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman insisted that now was important to have a national consensus on Kashmir and Pakistan’s security.
“We need to form national unity at this critical moment and we need the collective voice and resolve of the entire nation at the political and diplomatic level,” he added.
Meanwhile, JI Chief Siraj-ul-Haq strongly supported PML-N, national and the armed forces of Pakistan over Kashmir.
He said, “On the issue of Kashmir, we must give a single effective message in the national interest,” he also stated.
Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated that Pakistan would continue to promote Kashmir’s right of freedom while “guarding its borders at any cost.”
Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry while briefing the participants of the meeting on the situation of human rights violations in the held Kashmir said, India had to backtrack after making the ‘Indus Water Treaty’ an issue that showed its confusion.
A burning conflict called Kashmir
Tensions have been simmering for months between India and Pakistan but were dangerously ratcheted up last Thursday when India claimed it had carried out “surgical strikes” across the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC) – the de facto border in disputed Kashmir.
The rare public admission of such an action on alleged “terrorist” targets prompted furious rhetoric from Pakistan, which it said never, happened.
Relations between the two archrivals have been boiling since the Indian government accused that militants entered from Pakistan and launching an assault on an army base in held Kashmir earlier this month that killed 18 Indian soldiers.
