Shibli regrets Maryam showed animosity to Imran even on Kashmir Day

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Friday said there was no guarantee of peace in the region till the settlement of the Kashmir dispute according to aspirations of Kashmiris under the auspices of the United Nations.

He was talking to the media after inaugurating a photo exhibition on the Kashmir Solidarity Day here. Advocating early solution to the problem, the minister said Pakistanis had always supported the freedom struggle of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and they would continue doing so for their right to self-determination.

He said the Kashmir issue was being paid special attention in the foreign policy to highlight it and sensitise the world about the importance of its peaceful settlement as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

He said the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, was successfully highlighting the plight of Kashmiris at every international forum. Shibli said that observing the Kashmir Solidarity Day in Pakistan and across the world was reflective of the fact that the government and people of the country were with their Kashmiri brethren. He said Kashmiris were continuously recording their protest against Indian unilateral and illegal action taken on Aug 5, 2019, revoking special status of Kashmir and the demographic changes in the occupied valley.

Referring to India’s dangerous measures, the minister regretted that India had practically turned the occupied Kashmir valley into an open prison, the largest one in the world. Today the people of Pakistan, while expressing solidarity with their Kashmiri brethren, renew the pledge that Pakistan is with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and we will continue to provide full political, diplomatic and moral support to help achieve their right to self-determination,” he said in message on the Kashmir Solidarity Day.

He said that India was being recognised all over the world as a tyrannical and oppressive imperialist state, which had not only deprived Kashmiris of their basic rights but also made the living of minorities in their country, marred by discrimination and atrocities, specially against the Muslims.

“They are being targeted, their lives and property, business, social and economic rights, sacred religious sites and historic buildings have no respect or protection,” he added. He said that the Kashmiri people have been deprived of their legitimate, democratic and fundamental rights for the last seven decades.

Separately, Shibli Faraz regretted that even on the Kashmir solidarity day, Maryam Nawaz remained infested with hatred towards Imran Khan. In a tweet, the minister, while referring to the opposition, said: “They have gone to the last extent in Imran Khan's enmity. They are neither interested in Kashmir cause nor in the interest of the country”. The minister charged that they had always preferred their personal interests over the national interests.”