Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has stressed the need for inclusion of Kashmiri people in the dialogue process between Pakistan and China for durable solution of Kashmir issue, saying that Pakistan considers Kashmiris as primary party of the dispute and wants them to see part of the peace process.
"We strongly believe that Kashmiris should be an integral component of the ongoing peace process, as they are the primary stakeholders of the longstanding dispute", the Prime Minister said in his inaugural address at the 42nd session of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council held here on Friday.
The Prime Minister as Chairman of AJK Council addressed the meeting which was also attended by AJK President Zulqarnain Khan, Prime Minister Atteeq Khan and Federal Minister of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Qamaruz Zaman Kaira and other members of the Council.
Gilani said that during the dialogue process between Pakistan and India the two sides had agreed on a number of Kashmir-related Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to be implemented to alleviate the sufferings of the Kashmiris.
The Prime Minister said that the ongoing peace process between Pakistan and India has raised the level of expectations of the people of entire region very high. "We must make efforts to translate these peace efforts into reality of durable solution of Kashmir and become a symbol of peace, tranquility and fraternity in South Asia", he added.
He said that peace and stability in South Asia could only be guaranteed if all outstanding issues between Pakistan and India, particularly the Kashmir dispute, were resolved. "We hope that the governments of Pakistan and India would live up to the expectations of their own people as well as to Kashmiri people, so that the dream of lasting peace in South Asia can be materialised", the PM said.
Pakistan is ready to reverse the course of confrontation in South Asia, he said, adding that "We are ready to start a journey of peace and accommodation, in order to provide a better environment for our people to prosper and develop". He said that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains close to the heart of every Pakistani. "The future of both Pakistan and Kashmir is interlinked with shared destinies and their relations," he said.
Praising the valour of Kashmiri people, he said that for the last six decades, Kashmiris have been courageously struggling for realisation of their basic right to self-determination. "Pakistan will continue its moral, political and diplomatic support and to their principled struggle for right of self determination," he added.
Gilani regretted over failure of the United Nations in implementing its resolutions on Kashmir saying that the UN resolutions, which recognised the right to self-determination, remain pending to find the solution to the dispute. Terming Kashmir dispute a human tragedy, he said that the Kashmir issue had a human dimension, with massive human rights violations going on as perpetrated by the Indian forces.
"The provision of basic human rights, and freedom of the Kashmir people entail the withdrawal of the Indian security forces, and the repeal of the draconian laws enforced in Indian Occupied Kashmir. All kinds of violence in Indian Occupied Kashmir must end," he said. He expressed concern over the recent wave of violence and state repression in Kashmir, saying that the recent unrest and violence in Kashmir was a matter of great concern for Pakistan.
"The government of Pakistan has condemned the excessive use of force by the Indian security forces against the people of Kashmir, which led to the shahadat of several Kashmiris including Sheikh Abdul Aziz, a prominent Hurriyet leader", he said. He assured the Kashmiris that Pakistan would always stand by them, until they succeed in the struggle to achieve their rights to self-determination.
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