Daily Times

The national flag has been lowered to half-mast at the prime minister’s secretariat amid mourning on the death of iconic Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Indian forces snatched the mortal remains of the Kashmiri leader from his family. India has hit a new low over Geelani’s burial. The foreign office said that the incident has demonstrated the highest degree of callousness on the part of New Delhi. Funeral prayers were offered in absentia at the parliament house and in other cities.

Pakistan has strongly condemned the barbaric act of snatching the mortal remains of the iconic Kashmiri leader from his family by the Indian occupation forces. As the family was preparing for the last rites of Syed Geelani, a heavy contingent of the Indian occupation forces raided his residence in Srinagar, harassed the family member and snatched his body, the foreign office spokesperson said in a statement.

He said that when the family members told the raiding party that his body was to be buried in the “cemetery of martyrs” in Srinagar, they were reportedly told that India would not allow his burial at the place of his choosing. “The Government of India is so afraid of Syed Ali Geelani and what he stood for that they have now resorted to this inhumane act even after his passing away,” he remarked. The spokesperson said the incident showed the degree of callousness on the part of occupation forces and demonstrated beyond doubt that India would trample all civil and human values in perpetuating its occupation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The international community must take serious note of this unprecedented and egregious situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and hold India to account for its breaches of the international human rights and humanitarians laws, the spokesperson urged.

The veteran Kashmiri freedom fighter was laid to rest early Thursday morning in Srinagar, amid a heavy deployment of Indian occupation forces, who had earlier snatched the body from the family.

Pakistan has strongly condemned the barbaric act of snatching the mortal remains of the iconic Kashmiri leader from his family by the Indian occupation forces.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has expressed deepest grief on the sad demise of Syed Geelani. Army Chief said that Geelani’s lifelong sacrifices and ceaseless struggle symbolise the Kashmiri indomitable resolve against the Indian occupation. Geelani’s dream and mission will live on until the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir win their right to self-determination. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi has also expressed grief and sorrow over the death of Senior Kashmiri leader. In a statement, he said his death has deprived the Kashmiri people of a great Hurriyat leader. The Naval Chief said Geelani was a shining star of the Kashmiri freedom movement.

At this stage of winning freedom for Afghanistan, there is a need for more seriousness on a mission and resolve for peace, which is not only the need of Afghanistan and Pakistan but the whole region. There should be no blame game from any quarters. Pakistan’s desire has always been to ask world leaders to help Afghanistan achieve peace and prosperity. “The Taliban, who have pledged a softer brand of rule than during their brutal reign of 1966-2001, must now transform from insurgent group to governing power.”

The announcement of a cabinet that two Taliban sources told AFP may take place on Friday following afternoon prayers. This would come just days after the chaotic pull out of the US forces from Afghanistan; ending America’s longest war with an astounding military victory for the Islamist group. In one of the most symbolic moments since the takeover of Kabul on August 15, the Taliban, on Wednesday, paraded some of the military hardware they had captured during their offensive, even flying a Black Hawk helicopter over the Kandahar–their movement’s spiritual heartland. Now, all eyes are on whether the Taliban can deliver a cabinet capable of managing a war-wracked economy and honour the movement’s pledges of a more “inclusive” government.

Senior leader, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai–a hardliner in the first Taliban administration–told BBC Pashto in an interview that while women could continue working, there “may not” be a place for them in the cabinet of any future government or any other top post.”

In Pakistan, reconciliation with the government, as well as other political parties, is an urgent need of today. This can help sort out problems rather than creating more problems. This is my advice to the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan Peoples Party as well as the PTI. In fact, my recommendation to PTI would be to stop working on a strategy of inciting others, labelling them as corrupt or inefficient. Freedom for Kashmir is as vital as that of Afghanistan.

The writer is a former director (National Institute of Public Administration), a political analyst, a public policy expert and a published author.