‘Pakistan Will Go By Aspirations of Kashmiris’

NEW DELHI: Pakistan Thursday asserted that the Jammu and Kashmir issue must be resolved as per the “aspirations of Kashmiris”, saying it can be suppressed but not quelled.

Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit in his Pakistan Day speech at the Embassy in New Delhi also said that Islamabad wants to have a good and peaceful relationship with New Delhi and resolve all issues.

“Our policy is to promote peace, especially in Asia, where we have tried to have better ties with all our neighbours. These ties must be based on equal footing and loyalty and our efforts have been in that direction,” he said.

“As far as the Jammu and Kashmir issue is concerned, it should be resolved as per the aspirations of Kashmiris and hopefully it will be,” he said.

“We hope that we will resolve the issue but as per the aspirations of Kashmiris (‘unki umangon ke mutabik ho’),” he said.

Kashmir has remained a long-standing unresolved issue between the countries causing acrimony on both sides.

Basit went to say that the aspirations of people “can be suppressed but not quelled (‘tarikh gawah hay ki azadi ki tehrik huyin hain unko waqti taur pe dabaya ja sakta lekin…khatam nahin kiya ja sakta’)”.

“And, I hope the struggle of the Kashmiris will, god willing, prove successful (‘jo jaddo jehat Kashmiri kar rahen hayn, wo inshallah kamyab ho’),” he said, but did not elaborate.
When later asked as to what he meant by “aspirations”, Basit just said, “whatever people of the Valley want, we should go by that.”

Pakistan Day or Pakistan Resolution Day is a national holiday in Pakistan that commemorates the Lahore Resolution passed on March 23, 1940.

Basit spoke in Urdu at the ceremony held at the embassy premises to mark the day, which also coincides with the adoption of the first constitution of that country during its transition as a Dominion to an Islamic Republic in 1956.

“Pakistan since its inception has faced a lot of troubles, both internally and externally, but as a nation we are resolved to rise together,” he said.

Before Basit’s speech, messages of President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were also read out by the deputy high commissioner Syed Haider Shah.

Auditor-General of Pakistan Rana Assad Amin was among the guests invited for the occasion.

MEA Objects

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday expressed its objection to the remarks made by Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Kashmir issue while giving a speech at country’s embassy in New Delhi. Basit was quoted as saying that the Kashmir issue should be resolved as per the aspirations of its people and that their struggle cannot be quelled. “Aspirations of people “can be suppressed but not quelled. And, I hope the struggle of the Kashmiris will, god willing, prove successful (‘jo jaddo jehat Kashmiri kar rahen hayn, wo inshallah kamyab ho’),” he had said.

Responding to this, the MEA said the “remarks are not in keeping with the diplomatic niceties and are tantamount to interference in our internal affairs,” as quoted by news agency ANI. “Pakistan will be well advised to address challenge of terror emanating from that country, which has adversely affected peace in region,” it added.

Meanwhile, when Basit was asked by the reporters to elaborate what he meant by ‘aspirations of Kashmiris’ and ‘their struggle proving successful’, he avoided the question. Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s messages were also read out by the deputy high commissioner Syed Haider Shah before Abdul Basit’s speech.

Soldiers of China, Saudi And Turkey Participate In Islamabad Parade

Pakistan on Thursday celebrated its National Day across the country with “national zeal and fervour”.

The nation commenced celebrations for the 77th Pakistan Day with a pledge “to make the country stronger by wiping out the menace of terrorism, achieving sustainable economic growth and political stability”, Dawn.com reported.

The day marks the historic Lahore Resolution of 1940, when the All-India Muslim League demanded a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent.

The day dawned with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and 21-gun salutes in provincial capitals.

The highlight of the day is the joint military parade, which was held at Parade Ground near the Shakarparian hills in Islamabad.

Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain was the chief guest at the event. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Zakaullah, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sohail Aman and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif witnessed the parade.

The ceremony commenced with the singing of Pakistani national anthem, after which the president observed the parade from a jeep.

Chinese and Saudi troops and a Turkish military band also featured at the event.

The military parade resumed in 2015 after a gap of seven years and was seen as a manifestation of the military’s show of strength in the wake of a shocking attack in 2014 on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, which left 150 dead, including 132 schoolchildren.

Use Resources, Make Nation Progressive: Mirwaiz to Pakistan

Hurriyat Conference (M) chairperson, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who continues to be under house arrest, Thursday greeted the people of Pakistan on the occasion of Pakistan National day and prayed for stability and prosperity of the country.

In a statement issued here, Mirwaiz said the creation of Pakistan was an assertion of the political and religious identity of the Muslims of the subcontinent, who had greatly suffered at the hands of the British colonial rule and had to make huge sacrifices for their independence.

“It is incumbent upon the Government of Pakistan and its people to utilise their resources and work towards building a strong, peaceful egalitarian, tolerant and progressive nation as was the dream of Quaid-e-Azam (RA) for the nation.”
 

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