Pakistani leadership fully committed to Kashmir cause: President Alvi

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has asserted that the entire Pakistani leadership, irrespective of their political affiliations, was fully committed to the Kashmir cause, urging the media to highlight illegal Indian actions of August 5, 2019, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The president made these remarks during a luncheon hosted for the Acting President of AJK, Anwar ul Haq, Prime Minister of AJK, Sardar Tanvir Ilyas, Former PM of AJK, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, members of the AJK Legislative Assembly, and senior political leadership of AJK.

Speaking on the occasion, President Arif Alvi said that the entire Pakistani leadership, irrespective of their political affiliations, was fully committed towards the Kashmir cause and would continue giving their moral, political, and diplomatic support for the inalienable right to self-determination of the Kashmiris.

He observed that there was a clear distinction between the freedom fighters and terrorists, and the Kashmiri brothers and sisters were waging a just freedom struggle by all means and angles and were sacrificing their lives for the attainment of their right to self-determination.

President Arif Alvi regretted that the Muslim freedom movements around the world were deliberately, wrongly and unjustifiably equated with the terrorist movement, whereas other such movements were termed as just and lawful.

The president proposed that the media, being the most effective tool to convey around the world any injustice committed anywhere in the world against humanity, must also be used effectively to raise the voice and aspirations of the Kashmiris for their right to self-determination.

He said the media should also highlight the illegal, unlawful, and unjust Indian actions of August 5, 2019 which had unilaterally deprived the Kashmiris of their special status and protection which was provided to them under Article 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution and the human right violations committed by India with impunity.

He said that the international media should also be engaged to compare the political, economic, social, cultural and religious freedoms enjoyed by the Kashmiris in AJK and contrast it with the oppression, cruelty, humiliation and suppression of Kashmiris in IIJOK.

The president further said that the Kashmiri brethren in IIOJK had rendered innumerable sacrifices and as per estimates over 500,000 Kashmiris had embraced martyrdom, 30,000 women had been widowed, 10,000 had been raped, many had been made “half-widows”, and thousands of Kashmiris had been crippled and blinded for the rest of their lives.

Meanwhile, Members of the Legislative Assembly of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and senior political leadership unanimously passed a five-point resolution calling on India to reverse its illegal, unlawful and unjust annulment of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution on August 5, 2019.

They re-endorsed the principled stand taken by Pakistan to link any negotiation or dialogue with India with the reversal of these actions.

The five-point resolution called upon India to “retract its illegal move to change the demography of IIOJK by illegally issuing domiciles to over 4,200,000 non-Kashmiris and empowering them to buy Kashmiri land and conduct businesses.”