Act maturely

Although Pakistan is in deep crises – from the coronavirus outbreak to rising inflation and economic depression – our leaders are busy playing the same old blame game while campaigning for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections. The current circumstances, however, demanded that either the elections were postponed or campaign activities were suspended. What happened was that all political parties carried out rallies, risking the lives of people. Not one political leader ensured that party supporters were following SOPs. This happened at a time when the country is fighting against the deadliest variant of Covid-19 – the Delta variant. The leaders accuse each other of selling Kashmir and of not taking the issue seriously. The unfortunate truth is that no political party has ever done anything worthwhile to fight the Kashmir cause. Except for some energetic slogans, no party has ever taken a clear and strong stance on the issue. Our politicians are busy holding public meetings to come to power. The Indian government annexed Occupied Kashmir and we could do nothing. We failed to convince the international community to support our cause and force India reverse its decision. Unless we stand united and take a strong stance on Kashmir, nothing will change. Unfortunately, the fact that politicians are raising senseless allegations against each other only weakens our stance. The world will only pay attention if we present a strong case against Indian aggression. It is hoped that our leaders will show some maturity.

Raja Shafaatullah

Islamabad