Islamabad: Pakistan observed an annual day of solidarity with the struggle of the people of Kashmir for their right to self-determination, with the country’s leadership vowing continued political and diplomatic support.
The day has been observed on February 5 each year since 1991 in Pakistan and Islamabad-controlled part of Kashmir, of which India controls the northern third.
Pakistan and India have fought two wars over the disputed Himalayan region since their 1947 independence and the dispute continues to bedevil relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
The government declared a public holiday on the occasion of the Kashmir Day, which started with special prayers in mosques.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited Pakistani Kashmir’s capital city of Muzaffarabad where he addressed the region’s Legislative Assembly.
“Pakistan will maintain its political and diplomatic support for the people of Kashmir in their struggle for freedom and right to self-determination,” Sharif said.
The prime minister said only a fair resolution of the Kashmir dispute would ensure lasting peace in the region and urged the international community to play its part in this regard.
“Kashmir and Pakistan are one entity; no power in the world can separate the two,” he said.
Referring to recent elections in Indian-administered Kashmir, Sharif said that “no sham elections conducted under the occupation of 700,000 Indian security forces can be a substitute for a free and impartial plebiscite”.
He said the committed people of Kashmir had consistently been denied their fundamental right to determine their future through a referendum envisaged by the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir adopted decades ago.
“I will help Kashmir to the best of my potentials. As Pakistan grows, we also want Kashmir to grow with us,” he added.
Assuring his support, PM Nawaz said that the people of Kashmir would benefit from the Neelum-Jhelum river.
Concluding his address, the prime minister said that it was the responsibility of his government and himself to provide continued support for Kashmir and urged his officials to set a date for their visit to Muzaffarabad next month.
Meanwhile, Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid on Thursday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan is speaking his heart out against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif even on Kashmir Solidarity Day.
Responding to statements by the PTI chief earlier Thursday, the minister went on to say that Khan should refrain from talking about his personal issues and rather take part in mature politics.
He further said that while Khan was making his speech, the people of Kashmir were longing for the PTI chief to rather speak about them and their struggles.
Earlier, the PTI chief, commenting on alleged rigging in the 2013 general election, said that the truth behind the poll rigging would be unveiled by the end of this month.
He blamed Sindh and Punjab governments for the delay in holding local government polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khan vowed to devolve power to the rural masses of the province.
The cricketer-turned-politician reiterated that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari were the two sides of the same coin. He said that only the ruling elite had become billionaires while the rest of the country was living below the poverty line.
