No power can deprive Kashmiris of their freedom: AJK president

MIRPUR: AJK President Sardar Masood Khan said the entire nation along with our valiant Pakistan’s armed forces was prepared to defend the motherland and supports the historic and valiant struggle of the Kashmiri people.

“Freedom is the right of Kashmiri people, and no power on the earth can deprive them of this right,” he said Friday while addressing a function held at the Neelum Stadium marking defence of Pakistan Day and martyrs day.

The AJK president paid rich tribute to those who had sacrificed their lives while defending geographical frontiers of the country, and termed them heroes of the country. Masood said those who had sacrificed their lives in occupied Kashmir have written new chapters of freedom and independence.

“The freedom fighters in occupied Kashmir were actually fighting a war for the completion of Pakistan,” he added. He also paid glowing tribute to hundreds of youth and officers of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan who had offered sacrifices for the defence and security of Pakistan.

He said this was a historical reality that Pakistan had not only made diplomatic efforts for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir, but it has also fought six wars against India since 1947. Recollecting 1965 war, he said the Pakistani nation had demonstrated unprecedented unity in response to India’s aggression, and had supported the valiant armed forces to inflict a humiliating blow on the enemy.

Today, we are once again faced with a challenge from the enemy, and we once again need to forge unity and cohesion in our rank and file at this juncture. He further said in February this year, India had carried out another strike on Pakistan’s sovereignty, but the armed forces had valiantly repulsed it, and now India has attacked with its 900,000 troops to deprive the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir of their entity, religious values, jobs, education and other rights.

“India has planned to turn the Muslim majority into a minority in the held territory to deprive them of their right to self-determination,” he said and declared that the people and the government of Pakistan, and the people of Azad Kashmir and occupied Kashmir will not let India fulfil its heinous designs.

The AJK president said Pakistan had raised in the Security Council the issue of India’s unlawful actions, and hopefully, the United Nations would certainly take some action in this regard.

Addressing the function, General Officer Commanding Murree Maj Gen Amir Ahsan Nawaz paid rich tributes to the people of Azad Kashmir for valiantly resisting the cowardly acts of India at the Line of Control.

Azad Kashmir is a peaceful region, and the patriotic local people have always maintained its status of being a haven of peace, he added. He said Kashmir which was our lifeline, was like the blood running in our veins, and Pakistan will remain incomplete without Kashmir.