Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Monday said that resolution of Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiris was imperative for durable peace and stability in the region.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s stance on ‘Kashmir cause’‚ the PM said that Pakistan would continue to extend whole hearted moral‚ diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiris. He said that Kashmiris are engaged in a legitimate struggle for the implementation of the Security Council resolutions and continue to sacrifices their lives for the cause. The PM said that Pakistan demands an end to the human rights violations perpetuated by India in Kashmir. He said that Pakistan has demonstrated seriousness of purpose and sincerity in resuming the dialogue process with India, India should ensure that the process is uninterrupted and result oriented for resolution of all outstanding issues.
The PM added that “in our recent interaction we have conveyed to the Indian side that Pakistan seeks friendly‚ cooperative and good relations with India. To achieve this objective we need to invest more in confidence building measures. We stand at the cross road of history. Kashmiris are looking at the two countries to exercise their right to determine their future. This can be done if both the sides make genuine efforts for ending hostility and distrust”.
The PM said that Pakistan has conveyed to India that Pakistan seeks friendly, cooperative and good neighborly relations with it. Pakistan had emphasized on the need to invest more on building trust and infusing greater political skill in resolving all Pakistan has always supported dialogue with the government of India. We have initiated CBMs in good faith and hope that the CBMs would mitigate the suffering of the Kashmiri people. We also hope that the CBMs would lead to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people. He said that Kashmir dispute held the key to durable peace in the South Asian region. Adding that Pakistan feels that a sustainable resolution of the problem will only be possible if the aspirations of the Kashmiris are taken into account. The Council also considered and passed unanimously “The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council Removal from Service (Special Powers) (Repeal) Act 2013”. Earlier, the Council offered Fateha for the martyrs who have laid-down their lives in the heroic struggle for freedom in Indian-held Kashmir.
Those who attended the meeting included Sardar Ghulam Sadiq Khan, Acting President AJK, Choudhry Abdul Majeed Prime Minister AJK, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Watto Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Mr. Farooq H. Naik Minister for Law and Justice, Mrs. Tanzeela Aamir Cheema MNA, Nawab Muhammad Yousuf Talpur MNA and other senior officials.
