Mohsin Naqvi says peace in South Asia linked to resolution of Kashmir dispute

Calling the state of Jammu and Kashmir the jugular vein of Pakistan, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday that durable peace in South Asia was linked to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Speaking to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, who called on him in Islamabad, he, while showing his complete solidarity with the people of the occupied state, said that thousands of Kashmiris, including women and children, had been killed there since the snatching of its special status by India five years back on August 5, 2019. “Ever since that day, there has been a curfew and section 144 has been in force in the state,” Naqvi said.   

The minister said that the government of Pakistan was already fully assisting the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government in ensuring peace in the territory, and would continue to do so. “The government will do all it could do to fulfill the security needs of the AJK,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, the AJK PM said that India showed to the world its ugly face on August 5.    

He lamented that India had banned the entry of representatives of international human rights organisations as well as international media in the held territory. “It is high time that the world, the United Nations and human rights organizations took notice of the injustices and state- sponsored atrocities being committed there.

Anwarul Haq, on the occasion, thanked the minister for assisting the AJK government in ensuring peace in the state.   

Naqvi’s message on Youme Istehsal Kashmir

In his message in connection with August 5, 2019, the day India robbed the state of Jammu and Kashmir of the special status it had been enjoying since independence in 1947, Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi said it would be remembered in history as a ‘Black Day’. “Not only the step taken by the BJP government on August 5 laid bare the ugly face of India, but it also marked the start of a reign of terror in the occupied territory.”

“By doing so, India committed a crime against humanity and made an attempt to erase the separate identity of Kashmiris. We salute the struggle of the people of the state for their right to self-determination,” Naqvi said, adding, “The leaders of All Parties Hurriyet Conference are in detention while every day the Kashmiri youth are killed in fake encounters and during the search operations.”

It was no secret, the minister went on to say, that the occupied territory had turned into the world’s largest dungeon. “Despite all these brutalities, India has failed to dent the spirits of the Kashmiri people,” Naqvi said.  

Reporter: Awais Kiani