ISLAMABAD: India offering its services to the US to pressurise China is evidence of its isolation in the region, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said Monday.
Talking to a delegation from the Kashmir Journalists Forum, he said Syed Salahuddin being designated a terrorist by the US was an attempt by the American administration to appease India.
He added that Pakistan was not bound to follow the decision as it was not a United Nations (UN) declaration.
Aziz said that India has been trying to downplay the Kashmir issue for a very long time, but continuing agitation at the local level had completely changed the Indian narrative. “Kashmiris are increasingly finding support from the international community, which has brought the freedom movement to an important juncture,” Aziz noted.
Aziz reiterated that the struggle was being led by Kashmiris and Pakistan was only providing political, diplomatic and moral support to them.
He also said that history shows that it is impossible to prevent people from achieving their aims when they decide to rise.
“Multiple surveys have shown that a vast majority of people from India-held Kashmir do not want to stay with India,” Aziz said. “On the contrary, 99 per cent of people in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) want to stay with Pakistan.”
Speaking on the occasion, the adviser said the federal government was making an effort to put effective governments in power in AJK and GB. Suggestions in this regard are being compiled and will soon be finalised, he informed.
Aziz also highlighted ceasefire violations by India, claiming that India had violated the ceasefire more than 400 times in the past years, which was a violation of a 2003 agreement between the two nations.
He added that Pakistan was willing for a dialogue on all issues with neighbouring countries as a part of its vision for a peaceful neighbourhood, but a dialogue with India without Kashmir on the agenda was out of the question.
He also said that Pakistan supported the right of self determination for Kashmiris so they could decide upon their future themselves.
“Pakistan will raise the issue of the deaths and disabilities resulting from the use of pellet guns on the international stage,” Aziz vowed.
