News
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Kashmir Solidarity Day observed with renewed commitmentISLAMABAD: Pakistan nation and Kashmiris across the world showed solidarity with their brethren in Indian held Kashmir on Sunday by renewing the pledge to continue supporting their inalienable right to self-determination.
The day started with special prayers at mosques for the freedom of Kashmiri people and their emancipation from Indian subjugation.
At least 1,000 people formed a human chain in Azad Jammu and Kashmir as rallies were held across the country to denounce Indian rule in the Himalayan state.
Banners calling for Kashmir's freedom from Indian rule were put up on main roads and intersections across Pakistan and thousands of people in the country held protest rallies. On Sunday morning, the country observed a one-minute silence as a mark of respect to more than 47,000 Kashmiris killed by Indian forces when an armed struggle broke out in Indian-held Kashmir in 1989.
Kashmir Solidarity Day supports the region's right to self-determination in line with UN resolutions that call for a plebiscite in Kashmir on whether it should be ruled by India or Pakistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan, and AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majid all issued messages expressing their solidarity with people of IHK.
A Kashmir Convention was also held in the federal capital where participants paid homage to those in IHK who had sacrificed their lives for the right to self-determination.
President Asif Ali Zardari, in a special message, reiterated his country's fullest moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris in their just cause, sayin that it is the imperative the principles and values that underpin the just Kashmiri cause are upheld and supported by all justice and freedom loving peoples across the world. Addressing the convention, Prime Minister Gilani said the Kashmir issue is corner stone of our foreign policy and reiterated Pakistan’s moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris in their struggle for right to self-determination.
Gilani said the issue also provided a basis for the creation of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), adding that late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto formulated the Kashmir policy and Benazir Bhutto continued it. Gilani called for a peaceful resolution to outstanding issues, including the Kashmir issue, saying Pakistan believed in dialogue and diplomacy and wanted to resolve such issues according to will of the people. The prime minister also hosted a dinner in honour of prominent Kashmiri leaders. Chairman Kashmir Committee of the Parliament, Maulana Fazlur Rehman in a statement said the Kashmir issue is central point in Pakistan's foreign policy and the Parliamentary Committee will send its delegations to different countries for highlighting this issue.
In AJK, the AJK president and prime minister addressed the joint sitting of AJK Legislative Assembly and Kashmir Council and paid tribute to the freedom fighters of IHK. They also thanked Pakistani people and the government for such strong support to the Kashmiri people. Special functions were held at educational institutions to apprise youngsters about the Kashmiri people’s struggle for their right to self-determination. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk