Khizar Hayat Abbasi,
MUZAFFARABAD: The AJK President, Sardar Masood Khan has said that the entire nation along with our valiant Armed Forces is prepared to defend the motherland, and supports the historic and valiant struggle of the Kashmiri people. “Freedom is the right of Kashmiri people, and no power on the earth can deprive them of this right,” he said.
Addressing a function held at Neelum Stadium here marking defense of Pakistan day and martyrs day on Friday, he paid great homage to those who had sacrificed their lives while defending geographical frontiers of the country, and described them as heroes of the country and the nation.
The AJK president maintained that those who had sacrificed their lives in occupied Kashmir have written new chapters of freedom and independence. “The freedom fighters in occupied Kashmir were actually fighting a war for the completion of Pakistan,” he added.
Sardar Masood Khan also paid glowing tributes to hundreds of youth and officers of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan who had offered sacrifices for the defense and security of Pakistan. He said that this was a historical reality that Pakistan had not only made diplomatic efforts for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir, but it has also fought six wars against India since 1947.
Recollecting 1965 war, Sardar Masood Khan said that the Pakistani nation had demonstrated unprecedented unity in response to India’s aggression, and had supported the valiant armed forces to inflict a humiliating blow on the enemy. Today, we are once again faced with a challenge from the enemy, and we once again need to forge unity and cohesion in our rank and file at this juncture.
He went on to say that in February this year, India had carried out another strike on Pakistan’s sovereignty, but the armed forces had valiantly repulsed it, and now India has attacked with its 900,000 troops to deprive the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir of their entity, religious values, jobs, education and other rights.
“India has planned to turn the Muslim majority into a minority in the held territory to deprive them of their right to self-determination,” he said and declared that the people and the government of Pakistan, and the people of Azad Kashmir and occupied Kashmir will let India fulfill its heinous designs.
The AJK president said that Pakistan had raised in the Security Council the issue of India’s unlawful actions, and hopefully, the United Nations would certainly take some action in this regard.
Addressing the function, General Officer Commanding Murree Maj Gen Amir Ahsan Nawaz paid rich tributes to the people of Azad Kashmir for valiantly resisting the cowardly acts of India at the Line of Control. Azad Kashmir is a peaceful region, and the patriotic local people have always maintained its status of being a haven of peace, he added.
He said that Kashmir which was our lifeline, was like the blood running in our veins, and Pakistan will remain incomplete without Kashmir.
Members of AJK Legislative Assembly, Chief Secretary Mathar Niaz Rana, Inspector General police senior civil and military officials besides a large number of near and dear of martyrs were present on the occasion.
Earlier, AJK president and the GOC Maj Gen Amir Ahsan laid floral wreaths at martyrs monument, while a smart contingent of Pakistan Army paid guard of honor.