KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Cautioning Pakistan from making Gilgit-Baltistan its fifth province, Hurriyat patriarch and Chairperson All Parties Hurriyat Conference (g) Syed Ali Geelani Wednesday said such an act will harm the disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir and it will “also serve as a certificate to India for its illegal and forced occupation of this state and no such action will be acceptable to the Kashmiri people”.
In a statement issued here this evening, Geelani said, “the entire Jammu & Kashmir falling both sides of the cease fire line is a disputed territory and there are no constitutional as well as moral justifications in making any decision over any part of this territory without the consent of its people and it is also clear violation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir.”
The octogenarian Hurriyat leader said, “we are not against the economic development and prosperity of the South Asian Region but creating trade routes at the cost of rights, interests, wishes and sacrifices of Kashmiri nation is injustice and unkind and it is also against the traditional and national Kashmir policy of Pakistan.”
Commenting over the proposal of developing trade and travel relationship between Pakistan, Iran, China and Central Asian Countries, the Hurriyat patriarch said, “until the above mentioned countries will mutually solve their political issues on talks table, there will be less chances of development in their trade and travel relations. The formation of a Union in the European countries and development of trade with the help of this Union became possible only when these countries resolved their political issues mutually and according to the wishes of the people.”
Giving examples of peaceful solutions of many disputes amongst the developed countries like SAARC, between France and Germany, Aland Island between Sweden and Finland, South Tyrd between Australia and Italy, North Ireland, Triest between Yugoslavia and Italy, Geelani said, “the European countries showed political maturity and farsightedness and first solved their political issues mutually and then proceeded for the economic and trade relations.”
He said, “the track which the South Asian Countries are following to achieve economic development is entirely a different route which the European countries had taken and here the nations want peace, better trade and travel ties by ignoring the burning issues between them. If any such trade happened to start here, it will not last for long and neither can it improve in these situations.”
Terming Gilgit-Baltistan an integral part of Jammu & Kashmir, the Hurriyat Chairperson said, “until a referendum is held in entire state under the supervision of UNO, no separate decision will be taken about this part. It will be a betrayal with the Kashmiri people and their sacrifices.”
“A strong and stable Pakistan is the necessity for the resolution of Kashmir dispute but the solution of this long pending dispute in and accordance to the wishes and aspirations of its people is also a vital requirement for Pakistan and the peaceful resolution to this issue will guarantee peace, development and prosperity to this country,” he further said.
Geelani appealed all the government institutions of Pakistan that they should give a “serious thought over the negative consequences of their attempts of giving preference to trade over the Kashmir issue and don’t raise any such step in haste which will serve the purpose of India”.
