- Chairs meetings of AJK PPP, vows to follow Kashmir policy of his successors
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that Quaid-e-Awam Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto had a special place for Kashmir and Kashmir people in their hearts.
He expressed these views while presiding over two separate meetings of PPP Parliamentary party Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and AJK PPP at Zardari House Islamabad on Thursday.
The meetings were also attended by AJK President Sardar Muhammad Yaqub Khan, AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majid, speaker and deputy speaker of AJK assembly and cabinet ministers. National Assembly Member Faryal Talpur, former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, PPP General Secretary Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira were also present on the occasion.
Bilawal Bhutto said he will follow the policy of his predecessors on the Kashmir issue as Benazir Bhutto had taken several measures for the betterment of the Kashmiri people. It was PPP that established a university and a medical college in AJK. He said that he would soon visit Kashmir and meet his Kashmiri brothers and sisters. He said their struggle for the right to self determination is historic. He said that PPP believes in people-to-people contact and soft borders for relatives living on either side of the border. He said that PPP was not in favour of personal or business visits by rulers of India and Pakistan.
He asked party workers to apprise people of the pre-poll rigging that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz did, and hold public gathering in this regard. The meeting adopted the following resolutions:-
The AJK PPP lauded the contributions of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, former president Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and MNA Faryal Talpur supporting the just struggle of Kashmiris for the right of self-determination. The meeting welcomed the resumption of the India-Pakistan dialogue process and stressed that sustainable peace in the region can only be achieved by resolving Kashmir issue according to the wishes of the people of Kashmir.
The AJK PPP also appreciated the contribution of PPP leadership for democracy in Pakistan and strengthening the federation by the NFC award and the restoration of the 1973 constitution in its original form.
The AJK PPP expressed confidence on the leadership of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PPP Parliamentarians President Asif Ali Zardari.
The AJK PPP condemns the humiliating attitude of federal government towards the AJK government and its intentions of providing funds to PML(N) AJK candidates from national exchequers for pre-pole rigging and also condemns the derogatory language used by federal ministers about people of AJK.
The meeting appreciated the Prime Minister and government of AJK for the development projects, establishing universities and three medical colleges in AJK.
The meeting appreciated that AJK Legislative Assembly’s resolution on Gilgit-Baltistan and reaffirms that till the final decisions of Azad Jammu & Kashmir issue, the status of Gilgit-Baltistan will not be changed. By making such promise, India’s stance will be strengthened and will pave the way for division of the state of Azad Jammu & Kashmir.