President Asif Ali Zardari has reiterated Pakistan's principled stand that it would continue to extend to the Kashmiri's brethren all political, moral and diplomatic support. He termed the ongoing struggle "a new chapter in the struggle of Kashmiri people" which he said was spontaneous, indigenous and non-violent.
The President while addressing a special function at Aiwan-e-Sadr here on Saturday on the occasion of the Kashmir Solidarity Day said that the international community was yet to restore to the Kashmiris their rights that have been recognised through Security Council Resolutions.
He said that for over six decades, the Kashmiris struggled to achieve their right of self-determination and generations of Kashmiris rendered countless sacrifices. "Force and oppression has been used against Kashmiris but their voice could not be silenced. It will never be," the President said. The greater the suppression, the greater has been the desire for freedom. Indeed this desire has grown stronger with time, the President remarked.
Lauding the courage, resolve and the determination of the Kashmiris the President paid tribute to the heroic struggle and assured the Kashmiris that Pakistan would remain firmly committed to its principled stance, based on UN Security Council Resolutions. Quoting the Speech of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto when she said that people cannot be suppressed indefinitely and suppression cannot long endure, the President said that it was our conviction that the blood and sacrifice of martyrs never went in vain.He said that the entire Pakistani nation stands by its Kashmiri brethren in their valiant struggle.
While noting the struggle of Pakistan People's Party for the cause of Kashmir, the President said that it was this very issue that led Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to form his own political party. He said Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto invoked a sense of struggle among the Kashmiris to fight for their right of self-determination and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto's efforts secured for All Parties Hurriyat Conference a special status in the OIC.
He said that the democratic government had taken several measures to highlight the Kashmir cause that include drawing attention of the international community to the grave human rights violations in the held Kashmir, highlighting at international forums, the United Nations and at the platform of OIC the need to resolve the Kashmir issue. These actions, the President said, reflect the true sentiments of the entire Pakistani nation.
The President also congratulated Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi for effectively highlighting the issue of Kashmir on the international platform. He said that Kashmir Solidarity Day was being observed in all the outposts of Pakistan to show our solidarity with the heroic struggle.
He said that Pakistan had always emphasised the need for a meaningful and constructive dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue. The President said Pakistan firmly believes that dialogue was the only way forward, and said that they had stressed the need for engagement and resumption of the composite dialogue.
"Pakistan believes that any resolution of the Kashmir issue must be centered on the Kashmiri's themselves and they alone are the arbiters of their destiny. For a durable resolution, Kashmiris must be associated with the dialogue process," he said.
The President while reiterating that Pakistan's desire for peace with all its neighbours said that Kashmir held the key to peace and progress in South Asia. The resolution of the issue of Kashmir, the President asserted, would pave the way to the normalisation of relations between Pakistan and India. He quoted Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in his address to the UN General Assembly in October 1963 that "Let the chain break, free the Kashmiris and have the friendship of Pakistan." The President said that Pakistan was committed to seeking a solution of the dispute through peaceful negotiations. And no solution to the issue would be workable if it does not reflect the genuine aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.-PR