Naqvi urges int’l media, HR bodies to raise voice for Kashmiris

LAHORE: Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi said that he salutes his Kashmiri brothers and sisters over enduring every sort of Indian barbarity as well as tyranny and pays tributes to the martyrs.

The CM urged the international media and human rights organisations to vociferously raise their voice for the freedom of Kashmiris. Lakhs of Indian military soldiers have kept the unarmed Kashmiris under detention and the Kashmiris are imprisoned in their own houses. Naqvi in his message on the eve of “Black Day” against Indian aggression stated that the obnoxious thinking of RSS has been fully exposed over committing inhuman besiege, oppression and torture on the innocent Kashmiris. The silence of the world and international community holds neither rhyme nor reason over day-by-day deteriorating situation of Indian Held Kashmir. The liberation spirit of the Kashmiri people will win for them independence as it is their fundamental right. The Kashmiris have proved that India by employing barbarous and atrocious power cannot subdue the independence movement of Kashmiri people.

Naqvi vowed that Pakistan will continue its diplomatic and moral support for their Kashmiri brothers and sisters. We have to remind the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir today that they are not alone in their freedom struggle and the Pakistani nation is standing shoulder to shoulder with them.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired the meeting of the joint review committee of foreign-funded projects at the P&D Board. Country Directors of World Bank Najy ben Hassan and Asian Development Bank Yong Ye and representatives of other donor agencies attended the meeting along with the Federal Secretary Economic Affairs Division, administrative secretaries and high officials.

Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman and Chairman P&D Iftikhar Sahoo briefed the participants while the CM assured taking every possible step for the timely completion of schemes. Work was in progress to complete 12 World Bank-assisted projects worth 2,456 million dollars and 8 other schemes of the Asian Development Bank with a total value of 849 million dollars in the province. Work was in progress on different projects including Punjab tourism for economic growth, agriculture and rural transformation, green development and city program in collaboration with the World Bank while WB and other agencies were also collaborating for the completion of the national health program.

CM Naqvi further assured to achieve targets in transport, environment and family planning sectors adding that WB and ADB’s assistance in this regard would be welcomed. He stated that the government was striving to achieve better results with solid teamwork as the fastest response was imperative to complete development schemes.

The provincial government was burning the midnight oil as it intends to further enhance collaboration with ADB, WB and other donors, he added. Mr Hassan appreciated the institutional reforms undertaken by the Punjab government.