A strong Pakistan guarantees Kashmir’s independence: Masood

LAHORE: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan while addressing the students of the Government College University (GCU) Lahore on Tuesday evening asked Pakistani youths to excel in their fields, saying that a strong, united and economically prosper Pakistan guarantees the independence of Kashmir.

According to a press release, the AJK president urged youths to develop advanced skills of communication and write posts and blogs to expose the cruelty of the Indian regime in Kashmir. He said about twelve to fifteen boys under the age of 23 daily are martyred in the occupied valley. “Today is 23rd February and it is a dark day in the history of Kashmir; I dedicate this day to the victims of rape, a crime that was committed in early 1990s in Kunan Poshspora, where women were cordoned off by Indian armed personnel and were raped en mass; the youngest victims was 5 years old and the oldest was 80; many of those who are still alive and have scars on their bodies and minds,” Masood said. He added that the mass rape was committed to punish the entire Kashmiri nation because they were Muslims and had not given the right to India to determine their statehood or political future. He believed that Pakistanis should stop showing helplessness, and give a clear message of punishing India for its heinous crimes in Kashmir.

Speaking on the occasion, GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi laid stress on promoting research on Kashmir in Pakistani universities, saying that the GCU is going to establish the Centre of Excellence in Kashmir Studies soon. He expressed profound gratitude to the students of the GCU Debating Society, the Dramatics Club and the Music Society for making very reassuring and heartening presentations on contemporary situations of their Kashmiri brothers and sisters.

The newly-elected senator, Dr Zarqa Suharwardy, briefed the students about the history of the Kashmir dispute. Academician Prof Zafar Iqbal Sindhu also spoke.