Emir Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Siraj-ul-Haq Friday asked the government to devise a consensus-based strategy on Kashmir as Indian occupational forces within past few months have intensified acts of state terrorism against the innocent people. Addressing a press conference here, Haq said the government should call a joint session of the Parliament on the Kashmir conflict and must declare 2019 as a year of independence of Kashmir. "In a short span of time, 95,000 precious lives of innocent Kashmiris have been taken, while another 100,000 innocent Kashmiris over the years have been arrested by Indian occupational forces," he added.
While paying glowing tributes to the freedom fighters of Kashmir, Haq said that the freedom fighters in 1947 liberated the Azad Kashmir and the Kashmiri people have since then been keeping their struggle alive by rendering hundreds of thousand of lives. India and Pakistan in past have fought three wars but now both the countries are equipped with nuclear weapons and tension in Kashmir could trigger a war between the two nuclear states; therefore, the global community must play the due role in implementing United Nations' (UN) resolutions on Kashmir.
He said that General Pervez Musharraf's dictatorship from 1999 to 2008 caused serious damages to the independence movement of Kashmiri people.
Answering a question, Haq said that according to former Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri, Indian and Pakistan reached a settlement on the subject but the leadership of Kashmiri people rejected the move. He further stated that All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Gilani and other Kashmir leaders didn't let Musharraf to compromise on Kashmir.
After US/NATO invasion on Afghanistan, the Indian government took full advantage of the situation in consolidating control over the Kashmir and has built around 62 small, medium and large dams in Occupied Valley to deprive Pakistan of water.
He said the government in collaboration with the leadership of Azad and Jammu Kashmir should come up with a roadmap for independence of the territory subjugated by the Indian military. "The government should set up a special fund for the roadmap and also appoint a vice foreign minister for Kashmir," he said. A special desk should be established at Pakistani embassies all over the world to raise this issue, he added.
The Emir JI urged the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to play their role in ensuring Kashmiris their rights. "Violence has been increased in Occupied Kashmir in the wake of the upcoming general elections in India," he underlined. He said the freedom of Kashmir is completion of Pakistan.
He said that JI along with other parties on February 5 will observe Kashmir Solidarity Day across the country by arranging public gatherings.