MUZAFFARABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that the freedom struggle for Kashmiris would soon achieve victory.
Addressing a public gathering regarding Kashmir Solidarity Day at the Muzaffarabad University College Ground, Nawaz Sharif said that his heart beat equally for Pakistanis and Kashmiris.
“I have never seen a bigger rally than this in the history of Kashmir. Today’s rally is three times bigger than the one he ad
dressed at the same venue after winning the 2013 elections. No [court] decision can break the bond I have with the people of Kashmir,” he said.
Addressing Kashmiris across the border in Indian held territory, Nawaz c
ondemned the state brutality and said the “people of Pakistan stand with you”. He also prayed that the freedom struggle in Indian held Kashmir achieved victory soon. Coming back to his disqualification, Nawaz said had he not been disqualified, the people of Kas
hmir would have had justice, jobs, education and other basic social services.
“They ruined my plans,” he said, and then chanted a slogan: “Respect the vote. Respect Pakistan.”
Nawaz also promised to turn Muzaffarabad into Lahore, vowing a continuous increase in AJK’s development budget.
“We will make a four lane motorway from Muzaffarabad to Mirpur Dina,” adding that a similar project would be constructed from here to Mansehra. “I have been disqualified from Pakistan, but ‘qualified’ for AJK,” he said, asking the AJK premier to utilise his services in the state.
He claimed that he loved the youth of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) as much as he loved the youth of Pakistan.
The PML-N chief said that he had several plans for AJK’s development that would have eliminated unemployment from the region, but they were all ruined due to his disqualification in July last year.
He also paid tribute to the freedom fighters in Indian-held Kashmir and lauded their “bravery”. He vowed to stand by the people of Kashmir that were struggling for their right to self-determination. “The brave people of Kashmir are being blinded by the pellet guns used to fire at them,” Nawaz said, referring to incidents
of injuries resulting from Indian forces’ use of pellet guns against separatists in Kashmir. “Don’t lose heart! God is with you.”
Earlier, on his arrival to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital, Nawaz held a meeting with members of the AJK Council, party leaders, AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider and others. Nawaz’s daughter Maryam, AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider and other leaders will also speak on the occasion.
The daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and leader of ruling party PML-N Maryam Nawaz said that her heart bled when the people of Kashmir suffered. “The day will come when we celebrate ‘thanks giving’ day in Srinagar,” she vowed while addressing to public rally in Muzaffarabqad on Monday.
She urged her supporters to pray for the day when held Kas
hmir would gain independence from India’s slavery. She also thanked the crowd for showing their support for her party, saying that the people of AJK “did not vote for any party but PML-N” in 2016 elections. PML-N had won 31 seats our of 41 in the in the AJK Legislative Assembly in 2016. “The wounds of Kashmiri people are felt by us,” she said.
Published in Daily Times, February
6th 2018.
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