Brutalities in occupied Kashmir have exposed India, says Khattak

PESHAWAR: Defence Minister Pervez Khattak has said India would not be able to keep hold over occupied Kashmir for long and the Kashmir issue would be resolved under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"India should end repression in occupied Kashmir. The brutalities being committed in the held valley have unveiled India to the United Nations and the world. India should end the repression on Kashmiris. Issues are resolved through talks, not wars," he said while talking to the media.

The defence minister said the prime minister wants good ties with all the neighbouring countries. "Pakistan and India are nuclear powers. Two nuclear powers cannot go to wars. India must realize this fact. Wars never resolve issues. Contentious issues can be addressed through table talks," he stressed.

Pervez Khattak dwelt length at other issues as well during his interaction with the media. He paid special tributes to the students and the staff members of the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar who lost lives in the carnage on December 16, 2014. A total of 147 people, including 132 students, were martyred when a group of militants stormed the APS four years ago and carried out the massacre. "The great sacrifice offered by the APS students and staff members has not gone waste. Terrorism problem has been overcome up to a great extent due to the efforts launched by the Pakistan Army and other law-enforcement," he went on to add.

The defence minister said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has changed the political history of the country by winning a second consecutive term. "This was the good performance of the previous PTI-government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which enabled it to form government not only in KP, but also the centre, Punjab and Balochistan," he elaborated.

Pervez Khattak said workers, especially the youth, are an asset to the PTI. "The youth community is sick of the corrupt and traditional politicians. This is why they backed Imran Khan and trusted him in the general elections by giving him mandate for putting the country on road to progress and prosperity," he added.

The defence minister said the previous PTI government in KP took revolutionary steps for the welfare and development of the people. "When we took power, the infrastructure was in a shambles. Kidnapping for ransom was rampant and terrorism had hit the people hard. The provincial government took measures and improved the situation which paid us during the general elections when we returned to assemblies with a greater mandate," he added.

Pervez Khattak said the previous PTI government introduced drastic changes to the health, education, police and other departments. "Teachers and doctors shortage was addressed by making recruitments in these and other departments purely on merit," he said.

The defence minister said the present PTI government is giving special attention to the poor segments of the society and making efforts to improve their lot. "The prime minister's focus is the masses. Imran Khan has the will and the vision to improve the social and economic status of the common people," he added.