Daily Times

Founder of Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had defined the foreign policy of the new-born country and its relations with other countries in 1948 as under:

” Our Foreign Policy is one of friendliness and goodwill towards all nations of the world. We do not cherish aggressive designs against any country or nation. We believe in the policy of honesty and fairplay in national and international dealings and are prepared to make out utmost contribution to the promotion of peace and prosperity among the nations of the world. Pakistan will never be found lacking in extending material and moral support to the oppressed and suppressed peoples’ of the world or in upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter”.

In pursuance of this guiding principles of the Foreign Policy, Pakistan has been extending all along these years moral, diplomatic and political support to all oppressed and suppressed people around the world .

Long unresolved Kashmir dispute is a source of lingering conflict and tension between India and Pakistan. It had originated when the people of Jammu and Kashmir were denied their fundamental right of self-determination to decide their future themselves after the partition of the Indian sub-continent and emergence two sovereign independent states of Pakistan and India in August 1947.

At that time, it was generally presumed that Kashmir, as a contagious state with predominantly Muslim population would accede to Pakistan. However, valley’s Hindu Maharaja contrary to all this acceded to India through an improper and illegal Instrument of Accession on October 27, 1947 and the same day India had airlifted its forces in Srinagar and forcibly occupied the valley against the aspirations of the Kashmiris .

Unhappy over this rather ugliest development against their wishes, Kashmiris started agitating and launched unarmed struggle for securing their birth right of self-determination and getting rid of Indian security forces .

The forcible Indian occupation faced stiff resistance from the people of Jammu and Kashmir valley who had launched a mass struggle against. The resolute movement of the Kashmiris forced India to knock at the doors of the UN Security Council on January 1, 1948 seeking world body help to settle the dispute.

The UN Security Council through its successive resolutions nullified the Indian invasion and called for settlement of the dispute by giving the Kashmiris the right of self-determination so that they decide their future themselves. It also approved an impartial plebiscite to be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir under the supervision of the world body itself. Despite the promises made before the international community by the Indian leaders of giving the Kashmiris an opportunity to decide their future themselves, the plebiscite has not been held so far.

Kashmiris struggle for freedom from Indian shackles has been continuing indigenously for more than seven decades with in a varying manner and it has been picking up tempo as the Indian security forces continue martyring the Kashmiris freedom movement leaders but also brutally gunning down unarmed Kashmiri men, women, youth and girls and children ruthlessly and mercilessly over the years.

Kashmiris have all along been protesting and observing black days and resorting to strikes at the calls of All Parties Hurriyet Conference to keep reminding the international community in general and the UNO in particular about the bloodiest, ugliest and inhuman atrocities being committed on unarmed people demanding their birth right of freedom.

On all such occasions of black days, strikes and protests, civil and military leadership as well as people of Pakistan have been voicing their unstinted support to their Kashmiri brethren and sisters , condemning the Indian atrocities on the Kashmiris and reminding the international community of its obligation towards the suffering population of Indian occupied Kashmir to force India to implement the UN Security Council resolutions.

The Kashmiris freedom struggle has been intensified to a great extent during last four decades or so and bloodshed and violence by the Indian security forces give further impetus to their freedom movement. Even the massive lockdown in the form of curfew imposed throughout the occupied territory on August 5, 2019 by Indian Government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an unprecedented manner has not dampened their high spirits in any manner. They are determined to continue their struggle till they achieve their cherish objective of freedom from Indian shackles.

As already mentioned, Pakistan has all along been extending full political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiris in their just indigenous struggle for securing their right of self-determination as enshrined in the relevant resolutions of UN Security Council.

A peaceful, negotiated settlement of the lingering Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Resolution was the earnest call given to the international community by no less a person than Prime Minister Imran Khan during his maiden address at the UN General Assembly in September 2019. Since then, efforts to raise the Kashmir issue at all forums nationally and internationally have been duly accelerated forcefully.

Needless to mention here that civil and military leadership of Pakistan is availing every opportunity of their contacts with foreign dignitaries within the country or abroad . They duly highlight the Kashmir issue in their inter-action with foreign dignitaries particularly mentioning the unprecedented curfew imposed all over eight million population of the occupied territory and urging them to play roles to pressurize the Indian Government to implement UN Security Council resolutions as the lingering unresolved Kashmir dispute is posing serious threats to peace and stability of the region.

PM Imran Khan is continuing his activities highlighting the unresolved dispute as he calls himself as the Ambassador of Kashmir.

While the occupying Indian security forces are continuing their brutalities and atrocities, the determination on the part of the Kashmiri men, women and children is gaining strength with every passing day to continue their struggle till they secure freedom no matter how much sacrifices they have to offer.

As a result of efforts of Pakistan government, the Kashmir issue has been brought out of the cold storage, internationalized and has been discussed at the world body twice already after being ignored for more than five decades.

Kashmiris are continuing their freedom struggle and Pakistan’s civil and military leadership as well as the people are also continuing their moral, political and diplomatic support at all levels as they believe Kashmiris struggle is just and without resolving the lingering Kashmir issue, the partition of the Indian sub-continent remains incomplete as Kashmir is the lifeline of Pakistan.

The writer is Lahore-based Freelance Journalist, Columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News) , Radio Pakistan, Islamabad and can be reached at zahidriffat@gmail.com