India trying to sabotage Kartarpur project: governor

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar has demanded India overturn the revocation of Article 370 and said that including British Labour Party’s more than 25 British Parliamentarians have fully supported Pakistan's narrative on India's war hysteria.

He was speaking at the seminar "Legislation to Improve Law and order situation in Punjab" organised by SSDO and at "World Minority Day" seminar in Governor House organised by Ministry of Human Rights and Minority Affair, and was expressing his views with media on Wednesday.

Provincial Minister Ejaz Alam, Peer Sayadul Hassan Shah, Doctor Akhtar Malik, and Provincial Minister Sardar Asif Nakai, President of Islamic Democratic Union Pakistan Allama Zubair Ahmed Zaheer, Secretary-General of Awami Tehreek Khurram Nawaz Gandapur and other significant religious and minority representatives were present.

Speaking on the occasion, the governor said India was trying to sabotage the Kartarpur Corridor project and Baba Guru Nanak's 550's Birthday celebrations. He said the international organisations should make India understand that if Modi attempts war pugnacity Pakistani nation knows how to deal with it.

A war between two nuclear powers is not only disastrous for two countries, but it will also be dangerous for the region and world, he said. He went on to say that without resolving the Kashmir and Palestine issue, the dream of world peace cannot be attained. Minority quotas will be increased in universities and government departments. Expressing his views with media and in his address the governor said that revocation of Article 370 by India is a robbery of rights of Kashmiris and also a declaration of war, This step of India is a violation of United Nations resolutions and the worst kind of violation of human rights and against which Pakistan is standing in support with Kashmiris.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan before taking the oath told India that we want peace and we are ready for dialogues but Narendra Modi did not take it seriously and our offer of dialogues for peace was taken as our weakness but we want to tell India and the world that we are in favour of peace and not war but if India attempts to impose war we will respond more fiercely then we responded after Pulwama and we will ensure the safety of every inch of Pakistan.

The international community must acknowledge that peace is not possible without justice, India is trying to suppress voice of Kashmiris by using power and gun but peace cannot be achieved by suppressing sentiments of people using power. The freedom movement of Kashmiris is legal, Kashmiris are demanding their rights, India can do whatever but eventually it will have to give Kashmiris their right. He said the liberty provided to minorities in Pakistan was unprecedented in the world. He said we want to bring the system of reward and punishment in the country because without that prosperity and betterment is not possible.

Provision of safety to minorities is the responsibility of government, budget for minorities has been increased from Rs500 million to Rs1,000 million and quota of minorities will be increased in universities and government departments, 80 percent work has been completed at Kartarpur Project, Worship places of people from all religions are undergoing betterment with the provision of more facilities , we will get ownership of religious places back from land mafia and according to vision of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah safety of minorities will be ensured in Pakistan, he concluded.