Shahryar Afridi avoids meeting Kashmiri community in Dubai

DUBAI: Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shahryar Khan Afridi neither intriguingly met the Kashmiri community, residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during his visit to the Emirates nor ‘Kashmir issue’ was mentioned in the press statement released by the Pakistan diplomatic mission in Dubai.

Shahryar Khan Afridi visited the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai on Sunday but the Kashmiri community was not invited on the occasion. Pakistan Consul General to Dubai Ahmed Amjad Ali briefed about the consular services provided to Pakistanis and COVID-19 operations for repatriation of Pakistanis.

Many Kashmiri leaders including Sardar Shabbir, former adviser to the Azad Kashmir government Sardar Javed Yaqub, Azad Kashmir Assembly candidate Farooq Baniya and others regrettably complained that Shahryar Khan Afridi heads Kashmir Committee but unfortunately he did not bother to meet or invite “Kashmiri people”. They deplored that the consulate could not even invite ‘Kashmiris’ to discuss the issue!

Sardar Shabir stated that Shahryar Khan Afridi, as the chief of Pakistan Kashmir Committee, could have informed the community and taken them in confidence about the efforts which government has been taking to resolve the Kashmir issue.

When asked about Shahryar Khan Afridi’s visit to the consulate and Kashmir community, Press Counsellor Shazia Siraj initially declined to comment then stated if Kashmir community showed their interest to have a meeting with Shahryar Khan Afridi then the consulate could have arranged it. Moreover, Shazia Siraj did not comment on the reason of missing issue of Kashmir in the consulate’s press statement.

Sardar Javed Yaqub and other Kashmiri community leaders stated that many of their relatives had been living on the Line of Control (LoC) and facing indiscriminate firing by the Indian Army so they wanted to inform the chairman of Kashmir Committee Shahryar Khan Afridi about it but sadly they were not invited.

Shahryar Khan Afridi had also visited the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi few days back. He also attended a Pakistan Tehreek Insaf function and also addressed the Pakistan Business Council Dubai event, where he briefed the participants on the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.