Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani urged Afghan government and people on Thursday to actively support Kashmir cause, while a visiting Afghan parliamentary delegation has extended its complete support to Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir. "Kashmiris in the IOK (Indian Occupied Kashmir) are facing the brutalities of the Indian forces. The Afghan government and the people should support the cause of Kashmir," Sanjrani said during a meeting with the members of an Afghan parliamentary delegation who visited the Parliament House on the invitation of the chairman Senate on Thursday. Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz and Senator Muhammad Ali Saif were also present on the occasion.
According to a statement from the Senate Secretariat, Sanjrani informed the Afghan parliamentary delegates that he would soon lead a delegation to Afghanistan along with Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser to seek the support of Afghan parliament in effectively highlighting the plight of people in the IOK.
During the meeting, the statement said, the head of the visiting Afghan delegation Senator Qais Khan Wakilli said, "Afghanistan cannot forget the support extended by Pakistan especially during the Afghan war by hosting millions of Afghan refugees. We also appreciate the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts carried out by Pakistan in different regions of Afghanistan and express the hope that this support would be extended for developing the health infrastructure in the country.
There is a need to improve the legislation on both sides to facilitate the enhancement of bilateral trade. The Kashmir is not only a problem of Pakistan and Afghanistan rather an issue of whole Muslim Ummah.
The Kashmiris are being subjected to torture and brutalities. We support Pakistan's stance on the Kashmir and insist on the government of India to withdraw the recent changes in the constitution with regard to Kashmir. Both Pakistan and Afghanistan are facing the threat of terrorism and extremism and they should find a common solution to this. Kashmir issue is close to our hearts and we condemn the doing away with the Article 370 of the Indian constitution."
He also lauded the role played by Pakistan in the Afghan peace process, the statement added. During the meeting, Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani said the Parliament of Pakistan is planning to send delegations to different countries for raising the issue of Kashmir and human rights violations in the occupied region by the Indian forces.
It is worth mentioning here that earlier this month, the chairman Senate appointed 17 special delegates to visit different parts of the world to highlight the worsening situation in the IOK triggered by the atrocities of Indian forces on the public of the occupied valley.
The 17 special delegates are divided into five groups and each of the three groups comprises three senators whereas each of the two other groups comprises four senators. The delegations would visit United States, Russia, Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU, Geneva, Switzerland), European Union (EU, Brussels, Belgium) and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia).
They have been tasked to sensitise the world about atrocities and human rights violations by the Indian occupied forces. The special delegates include members of different political parties including those of the treasury benches and the opposition. According to the official plan, former chairman Senate Senator Farooq H Naek would lead the delegation to the US. Senators Nauman Wazir Khattak and Anwar ul Kakar will accompany him during the visit.
Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif will head the delegation to Russia, comprising of senators Sassui Palijo and Dr Shehzad Waseem. Senators Agha Shahzaib Durrani and Gianchand will be the part of delegation led by Senator Mohsin Aziz to interact with the leadership of the IPU. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed would lead the Senate delegation comprising Senators Walid Iqbal, Hilal ur Rehman and Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti to the EU.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Zafar-ul-Haq will head the delegation to the OIC. Senators Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Siraj-ul-Haq and Hafiz Abdul Karim will be the part of the delegation. Meanwhile, Sanjrani said that a stable and prosperous Afghanistan is imperative for Pakistan and South Asian region as peace, security and stability of Afghanistan is linked to the security in Pakistan as well as of the other regional countries.
"A politically negotiated settlement led and owned by Afghans themselves is the only way forward for the long-term peace in Afghanistan. We are determined to build our bilateral relationship on the principles of non-interference, mutual respect and common interest with Afghanistan. Pakistan does not have any favourites in Afghanistan. We wish to see a government in Kabul that is representative of the aspirations of the people of Afghanistan. Pakistan has played a pivotal role in taking forward the peace process in good faith and as a shared responsibility. Pakistan welcomes the outcome of talks on Afghanistan.
The ultimate decision regarding political settlement can only be made by the Afghans themselves. Pakistan remains the most natural partner of Afghanistan for its effective rehabilitation, reconstruction, and economic revival in the post settlement," Sanjrani told Afghan parliamentary delegates, according to the statement.
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