AJK cabinet approves mandatory Quran studies across educational institutes

MUZZAFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir cabinet has given formal approval for a new act by the name of ‘Holy Quran Act’ which is to be implemented across the regions educational institutes, ARY News reported on Friday.

The new act will make it mandatory for students to study and learn about the Quran in their educational institutes.

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Pakistan on September 18 strongly condemned and rejected the ‘inflammatory and irresponsible’ statement made by the Indian External Affairs Minister regarding Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

In a press release, Foreign Ministry said the remarks of the Indian minister were an obvious manifestation of New Dehli’s “utter frustration over the continued international censure of its egregious human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.”

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Earlier this week, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that New Dehli hoped to gain physical control of Azad Jammu and Kashmir one day, and consider the territory a part of India.

“Pakistan calls on the international community to take serious cognizance of India’s aggressive posturing about taking ‘physical jurisdiction’ of AJK. Coming from an occupying state, such irresponsible and belligerent statements have the potential to further escalate tensions and seriously jeopardise peace and security in the region,” the foreign office said adding that Islamabad stood for peace but would be ready to respond effectively to any act of aggression.

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With close to a million military and security personnel incarcerating more than eight million Kashmiris in one of the world’s largest prison, India is obdurately committing state terrorism in the IoJ&K, the statement read. “India cannot divert international attention from its crimes against the innocent people of IoJ&K by blaming Pakistan.”

The foreign office deplored India for its continued and unashamed justification of the violation of Kashmiris’ human rights. “India today is also a unique and deplorable case of a state which promotes hate crimes against minorities and consistently fails to bring to account those who indulge in cow vigilantism, mob lynchings and forced conversions and are guilty of violating India’s own laws.”

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The press release added that crimes committed by the Indian state in the IoJ&K for over 70 years are enough to debunk the pretentious claim of India being a normal state and the so-called “largest democracy.”

Instead of resorting to jingoistic rhetoric, India must rescind its illegal actions, stop forthwith grave human rights violations in IoJ&K, refrain from violating international law, and fully comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions for a final settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, the FO concluded.