ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan, Engineer Amir Muqam, on Thursday paid rich tribute to the martyrs of Jammu, reiterating Pakistan’s unwavering political, moral and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people in their just struggle for self-determination.
Addressing a seminar held at Kashmir House, Islamabad, in connection with Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Jammu (Jammu Martyrs Day), organized by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference under the leadership of Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi, the minister saluted the courage and sacrifices of the Kashmiri people.
He said the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, despite all hardships, had kept the Kashmir issue alive at the international level. “Many people are unaware of the atrocities committed in occupied Jammu and Kashmir where hundreds of thousands of people were martyred within a few days in 1947,” Amir Muqam remarked.
He lamented that Indian forces had forcefully entered Kashmir and tried to occupy it, adding that the oppression of innocent Kashmiris continues to this day. “The resilience and faith of Kashmiris remain unshaken even after eight decades. Their spirit for freedom is alive,” he said.
Addressing the seminar, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Rana Qasim Noon reiterated that Kashmir was an integral part of Pakistan’s national identity and that the country’s completion would remain impossible without its resolution.
Recalling Pakistan’s long-standing commitment to the issue, he noted that the country has fought four wars over Kashmir and praised the Pakistan Army and political leadership for their unwavering and continuous support.
Rana Qasim Noon, President Muslim League-N AJK Shah Ghulam Qadir, AJK Minister Akmal Sargala and other leaders who also paid homage to the martyrs and reaffirmed solidarity with the Kashmiri people.
The speakers paid rich tributes to the Jammu Martyrs, saying that the people of Jammu and Kashmir observe this day with a renewed pledge to continue the martyrs’ mission until the attainment of their inalienable right to self-determination.
The speakers said that the martyrs sacrificed their lives for a noble cause, and their sacrifices would never be forgotten. They reiterated that the Kashmiri people remain steadfast in their peaceful struggle to carry forward the mission of the martyrs and will continue their resistance until they achieve freedom from India’s illegal occupation.
They emphasized that durable peace in South Asia is impossible until the Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the relevant UN resolutions. The speakers urged the international community to take practical steps to end India’s genocide in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to facilitate a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
A large number of university students and media persons were also in present.