Pak to observe ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ today

Srinagar, Feb 04: On the occasion of observing February 5 as Kashmir Solidarity Day Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a message has expressed his gratitude to the people, government and leadership of Pakistan for their “unconditional and unflinching support to the political movement of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the right to self-determination”.
In the message, Mirwaiz said: “People of Jammu and Kashmir and All Parties Hurriyat Conference has always appreciated the support of Pakistan, at all levels, be it diplomatic political or moral for the past seven decades, despite difficult and testing times for the country itself. We also appreciate the Government of Pakistan and its leadership who has always extended all possible support to our political movement for the resolution of Kashmir dispute.”
Mirwaiz said “the people of Kashmir have for a long time now been battling hardships and oppression. The people of Kashmir in order to relinquish their struggle are being targeted by bullets and pellets, resistance leadership, activists, human right groups, intellectuals, newspaper offices, civil society members, and traders are also being targeted and harassed for their association and sympathies with the people’s movement.

Mirwaiz added “Pakistan being one of the main parties to Kashmir dispute has always played a frontal role at both regional and international level in highlighting the suffering of the Kashmiris as well as presenting the Kashmir dispute in its historical context”.
He said it was his firm belief that the resolution of the Kashmir dispute lay in either the implementation of the United Nations’ resolutions or through the alternative route of dialogue among New Delhi, Islamabad and Kashmiris. And unless this dispute is addressed New Delhi’s continues policy of obduracy and inflexibility over the resolution of the Kashmir dispute while ignoring the historical perspective, the ground realities and political actualities of Kashmir were prolonging our suffering and confrontation between the two nuclear neighbors.

“Given to the situation prevalent in Jammu and Kashmir and the subcontinent, putting the resolution of Kashmir dispute under the carpet is likely to prove dangerous and harmful to the peace and stability of this region,” he said.

He added it is high time that Government and leadership of India address the issue and take practical steps to initiate a meaningful and result-orientated dialogue both with Islamabad as well as with people of Kashmir and end the environment of confrontation of over 7 decades in the region the maximum brunt of which is being borne by the people of Jammu and Kashmir.