Modi to intensify anti-Muslim rant to woo voters: AJK PM

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq on Friday said that as the elections in India were drawing nearer, Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would resort to anti-Muslim rhetoric to whip up the nationalist sentiment in India.

Addressing an Iftar dinner hosted in honour of journalists, the AJK premier said that the BJP has a long history of using anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan rhetoric as a tool to achieve its political goals and push forward its agenda.

Referring to India’s August 5, 2019 actions, the AJK PM said that the move was outrightly rejected by the people of Kashmir and Pakistan as well as the civilised nations of the world.

Voicing his serious concerns over the worsening political and human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), Chaudhry Anwarul Haq said: “Violations of human rights, forced disappearances, bloodshed and violence and killing of innocent people by the Indian occupation forces have become a daily routine in the occupied Kashmir.”

He said that as per the international covenants, the Kashmiris have the right to defend themselves and their motherland. “Kashmiris will never compromise on their freedom.”

Highlighting the role of mainstream media, the AJK PM said that the journalists can play an important role to promote the Kashmir cause. “Besides promoting the cause of Kashmir, the government will continue the struggle for the region’s socioeconomic development and its accession to Pakistan,” he added.

He said that the coalition government’s recent initiatives have been instrumental in restoring the trust of the people in the system.

The AJK PM said that during his eleven-month rule, not a single case of corruption or misuse of authority had surfaced. He said the sole mission of his life was to strengthen the system and serve the people of the state.