LAHORE - Azad Jammu Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan visited The Nation and Nawa-i-Waqt offices on Friday, where he admired the ideology of late Majid Nizami.
“He (Nizami) always said he would not hear a single word against Pakistan,” Haider said while remembering the former editor-in-chief of Nawa-i-Waqt Publications who was famous for his dialogue that he was “biased journalist”.
“The people of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir have stood up against the tyranny of Indian armed forces. In the face of guns they chant the slogan of Pakistan Zindabad. When they are martyred by Indian army they are buried with honour wrapped in Pakistani flag. This is loud and clear message to the whole world that they want freedom and join Pakistan,” the PM added.
“Whenever the plebiscite would be conducted the majority of Kashmiris are going to vote in favour of Pakistan. Even Hindus of Kashmir also favour Pakistan as for them Sialkot and Lahore are near in comparison to Dehli, Gujarat, and Bombay,” he maintained. Farooq Haider said the AJK government in November will brief European Union about the Kashmir situation. “We have asked them to review their trade pact with India as it is violating human rights in Occupied Valley. They have turned the valley into iron curtain and do not allow any international delegation or journalists to visit and see the plight of Kashmiris.”
The premier said they have always put the Kashmir issue on different international platforms. “The UN General Assembly is due to take place this month. We hope that Kashmiris are also included in the Pakistani delegation this year to plead the Kashmir cause at UN and win the support of world,” Haider added.
About the Kashmiris coming from Indian-occupied territory, the PM said 40,000 people came into AJK since 1989. “If we count the refugees since 1947 to 1989 there are 2.2 million refugees who came to seek refuge in Azad Kashmir. Most of them settled in AJK.” “When we talk specifically about 1989 migration, the brothers and sisters who came previously lived along Line of Control in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
“To understand Keran is a village in AJK’s Neelam Valley on the bank of Neelam River. The adjacent village on the other side of the Neelum River in Indian Kashmir is also known as Keran. India has adjusted barbed wires along the village at LoC. A child who is born in the village opens his eyes seeing the barbed wires of Indian Army. These refugees are also living in the districts Kotli and Bagh,” he added.
Haider said that previously they (the Kashmiris) were receiving Rs1,500 per person. “This amount has now been increased to Rs2,000. There is also a quota in civil service in Azad Kashmir government.” “We acknowledge there are challenges for them but we are providing services to our brothers and sisters so they could live their lives peacefully,” he held. He further said that only the government of Azad Kashmir, not UNHCR, is providing help to the Kashmiris. To a question on bus service between India and Pakistan, the premier said that mostly people travel on Muzaffarabad to Srinagar route. “The procedure is very lengthy. Many people have died after submitting their forms wishing to visit their relatives on other side of the border but all their efforts went in vain.
“We want smooth running of bus service but this is not our ultimate goal. We want Kashmir issue to be resolved according to the resolutions of the United Nations,” Haider maintained.
“We initially agreed on 22 items to trade between but there are some problems including non-native people have occupied most of the trade from both sides,” he revealed.
The premier demanded that in future, members of the Kashmir Committee should be those people who fully understand the issue of Kashmir and international relations so they may be able to plead the case in proper manner. “The current generation of Pakistan does not have knowledge about the problem of Kashmir. It is not the matter of land. It is the matter of the rights of the people living in Kashmir,” he stressed. Farooq Haider said it is his dream to go to Indian-occupied areas and hopefully he will do so in his lifetime.