Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), said on Monday the prevailing situation in Indian-held Kashmir and atrocities against Kashmiris were outcome of the Nawaz-Modi alliance.

Talking to media men at the Parliament House, Shah said, “The prevailing situation in Indian-held Kashmir and atrocities being committed against the people of Kashmir are outcome of our poor foreign policy and Modi’s diplomacy.”

The PPP leader said the government was harming Kashmiris’ struggle for freedom by bolstering ties with Modi. He said the government neither protested against the killing of more than 30 Kashmiris and injuries to hundreds of others by Indian troops over the last few days in Indian-held Kashmir nor it called for implementation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir. He said the PPP supported the freedom struggle of Kashmiris in every era. He said that PPP founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto buried the politics of Indira Gandhi at the time of the Simla Agreement. On the other hand, he said, Pakistan lost a war due to the Tashkent Declaration. He said that Bhutto parted ways with the then government in protest against Pakistan’s decision to sign the Tashkent Declaration. He went on to say that those who criticised Bhutto were unaware of history. He said that freedom was the right of the people of Kashmir and they could not be deprived of their legitimate right in any case.

Shah said the PML-N government wanted to create a war-like situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). He said that two ministers of the federal government were putting hurdles in the way of peaceful elections in AJK. He said these ministers were harming the Kashmir freedom movement. “We have always highlighted the Kashmir issue at the international level, but the incumbent government is putting the Kashmir issue on the back burner to forge friendship with Modi and promote ties with him. This is the desire of the government to put in place a representative government of Modi in AJK, but the PPP will not let it happen,” he said.

Shah said the government was politicking on the Panama leaks issue. He said the prime minister had announced that he would present himself before the parliament and the people of Pakistan for accountability, but his foolish friends were putting hurdles in the way of terms of reference (ToRs) for the judicial commission, which would investigate the Panama leaks. He said that these friends of the prime minister were trying to let him down. He said this policy would create more problems for the government.

The PPP leader said that he would advise the government once again to present the prime minister for accountability with regard to the Panama leaks. He said the government should not try to dig out dead issues. He said that opposition parties were united on the Panama leaks. He said that any opposition party, which would support the government on this issue, would hurt itself. He ruled out imposition of a martial law in the country and said that opposition parties would launch movements in every country to mount pressure on the government. “Only the Panama leaks issue is before us at present and more mega scandals will surface after the departure of the government,” he said.

The leader of the opposition said that a consultation process was under way with opposition parties on appointment of members of the Election Commission of Pakistan. He said that honest judges, bureaucrats and businessmen were among the people nominated by the opposition for offices of the election commission. Further discussion will be held in this regard once the government gives names of its nominees, he said. “Our objective is to give an election commission to the country that can ensure a free and fair election. We will have to think for the country and whosoever strikes a deal, his political future will be dark,” he warned. He said that reports about a deal between the PPP and the government on cases involving supermodel Ayyan Ali, former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain and former prime ministers Yusuf Raza Gilani and Pervez Ashraf were baseless.