Govt holds APC to form consensus over Kashmir issue

by Tauqeer Abbas
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Pakistan’s political parties, from treasury and opposition benches, have formed consensus over the Kashmir issue, Geo News reported Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi addressing the All Parties Conference, said that Pakistani nation, political parties, and the armed forces were on the same page regarding Kashmir.

“Despite torture, oppression, and imprisonment, India cannot dampen the spirits of Kashmiris,” Qureshi said, adding that the country had rejected India’s unconstitutional and unilateral move on August 5, 2019.

Chairman Senate, Speaker of National Assembly and representatives from JUI-F, Jamaat-e-Islami, ANP, PPP, PML-N, BNP, and others were present at the meeting held in the Foreign Office.

Pakistan to give united message to India on August 5: FM Qureshi
Meanwhile, speaking in Geo News’ programme “Geo Pakistan”, FM Qureshi said that the entire country was united on the issue of occupied Kashmir and will give ‘one message’ to India on the one-year anniversary of New Delhi’s August 5 move.

“There is no confusion in our emotions or direction,” said the foreign minister. “The entire country is united [on Kashmir issue] and will send one message to India [on August 5],” he added.

The foreign minister said that he had invited all political parties and stakeholders, which included the PPP, PML-N and other parties’ leaderships, to the Foreign Office where they will exchange views on the Kashmir issue.

“We will take the political and Kashmiri leadership into confidence regarding the issue,” he stressed, adding that the Yaum-e-Istehsal event will also come under discussion during today’s cabinet session.

Answering a question about Pakistan’s response and what more needed to be done, the foreign minister said that the struggle to provide the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir was an ongoing one.

“See, this is a struggle and it will have its ups and downs,” he said. “Our stance hasn’t changed and our destination is Srinagar. The locks and chains on the Jamia Masjid Srinagar will be broken,” he added.

FM Qureshi said that political activists, stakeholders and other members of the society will take part in Yaum-e-Istehsal rallies around the country tomorrow. “We will observe one-minute silence, of course, keeping in mind the SOPs due to the coronavirus pandemic,” he said.

The foreign minister lashed out at the Indian government for imposing a curfew in the occupied region, saying that it had negated India’s stance.

“India’s stance has been buried [by its decision to impose curfew again],” he said. “It shows that the Indian rulers aren’t confident that Kashmiris will agree with them, despite the government’s oppression and greed tactics,” he added.

Geo News

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