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Peace linked to Kashmir freedom

By our correspondents
February 06, 2016

LAHORE

Kashmir issue is equally important for both Pakistan and India and its solution according to the United Nations resolutions is vital for long-term peace in the region.

Making Pakistan strong and economically independent along with socio-economic justice, creating peace is essential to free Kashmir from Indian control. 

These views were expressed by the experts in Jang Economic Session on ‘Future of Kashmir – Pakistan’s economy’. The panellists were Nasir Saeed, Aslam Ghuman, Agha Saidain, Ghulam Abbas Mir, and Musthaq Butt while hosted by Sikindar Lodhi.

Nasir Saeed said that paradise of Kashmir had become death valley due to Indian aggression while Kashmiris were making efforts to get right of self-determination. US had passed resolutions to give right of self-determination to Kashmiris but India violated the resolutions and had been forcefully holding control of Kashmir. He said the Indian leadership should take wise decision and give right of self-determination to Kashmiris. He said India was producing cheap energy from Kashmir resources to electrify its states and keeping Kashmir valley in darkness. He said India and Pakistan should take up all issues for long-term stability and peace in the region.

Aslam Ghuman said that India had captured Kashmir due to its rich natural and mineral resources while Pakistan fist needed to become a strong country to get free Kashmir from India. He said that India had been constructing dams in Kashmir to destroy Pakistan’s water resources to create water scarcity and starvation in Pakistan in future. He said Kashmir was golden sparrow for India so that it would not allow its freedom.

Agha Saidain said that Kashmir issue was not resolved due to weak policy and ignorance of Pakistani leadership which was negatively affecting country’s agriculture and industry. He said India was building dams in Kashmir to destroy Pakistan and its assets. He said India violated 1947 partition plan as Nehro and Mountbatten hatched a conspiracy against Pakistan and Kashmiris. However, when India lost the battle approached UN and since then India had been getting full advantage of political instability in Pakistan on Kashmir issue.

Ghulam Abbas Mir said that Kashmir issue could not be resolved by observing a day once a year as Kashmir solidarity day. He said Kashmiris loved Pakistan but due to failure of governments, Kashmir issue could not be resolved so far. He said unfortunately Islamic world was also sleeping on Kashmir issue and keeping eyes shut on the Indian atrocities on innocent Kashmiris. He urged the government to focus on Kashmir issue instead of reviving trade and cricket with India.

Mushtaq Butt said successive Pakistani government never initiated concrete step to resolve the Kashmir issue honestly. He said that Indian aggression against Kashmir was worst in the history of mankind as around one million houses had been burnt and more than 1.2 million Kashmiris arrested during the last 67 years in Kashmir. He said Kashmir issue was equally important for both Pakistan and India and its solution was vital for long-term peace in the region.