PESHAWAR: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has urged the international community to play an effective role for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue and asked the United Nations to stop bloodshed in Indian-occupied territory.

Speaking at ‘meet the press’ programme of the Peshawar Press Club here on Thursday, Mr Khan said that Indian forces had been using pellet guns against the innocent people in held Kashmir.

He said hundreds of people in occupied Kashmir had lost their eyesight due to use of pellet guns by Indian soldiers and become paralysed due to the use of deadly weapons, but the international community had turned a blind eye to the worst kind of violence.

Says imprisonment of Hurriyat leaders by India unjustified

The AJK president said Pakistan did not want to involve itself in any kind of war despite constant provocation by India through different tactics. Pakistan always tried to resolve the Kashmir issue through diplomatic channels because war is not a solution to the problem, he added.

Referring to the shooting down of Indian jet fighters by the Pakistan Air Force, he said the counter attack was aimed at protecting Pakistan’s borders only.

Masood Khan said Kashmir was the backbone of Pakistan and its map was incomplete without it, adding that the people of occupied Kashmir wanted to become a part of Pakistan and thus India was ruthlessly killing the innocent people.

He talked about the brutal incidents against men, women and even children and senior citizens and said that the entire leadership in occupied Kashmir had been put behind bars for their only sin that they were demanding the right to self-determination.

He regretted that the imprisonment of leaders of All Parties Hurriyat Confe­rence was totally unjustified as they had been struggling for the freedom which was their basic human right.

He said that the restriction on Jamaat-i-Islami and other organisations in occupied Kashmir was illogical. He alleged that the Indian government was funding the extremist forces and parties with an aim to kill Muslims.

The AJK president said attempts had been made to suppress the movement of Kashmiris but they were fully determined to get rid of the Indian occupation. He said India wanted to resolve the issue by committing state-terrorism in the occupied territory, but Pakistan always tried to resolve it peacefully.

He said India had intensified violence against innocent Kashmiris after the Pulwama attack where Indian troops forcibly entered the houses of innocent people and killed several of them.

Mr Khan said India was playing with fire. The PAF had foiled nefarious designs of India and shot down its aircraft which violated the Line of Control.

He thanked the Peshawar Press Club’s office-bearers for giving him an opportunity to interact with media persons and invited them to visit Azad Kashmir.

The AJK president also called on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman at the Governor House and discussed with the latter matters related to Azad Kashmir and KP.

They exchanged views about the Indian aggression in Kashmir.

The governor assured the AJK president that the people and government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as tribal districts would continue to support the freedom struggle of Kashmiris.

Shah Farman said the Kashmir issue should be settled as per aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Pakistan would always raise its voice for resolution of the Kashmir issue at every platform.

Later, the governor presented a souvenir to the AJK president.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2019