Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on K
ashmir Shehryar Khan Afridi Monday accused the leadership of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for putting K
ashmir cause on the backburner and using Chairmanship of K
ashmir Committee as ‘bargaining chip’ to PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Addressing a press conference along with K
ashmiri activists, Shehryar Afridi shared with media the 10-year performance of his predecessor, Maulana Fazlur Rehman as Chairman K
ashmir Committee, and accused him of compromising the K
ashmir cause for vested interests.
Flanked by APHC leader Nabila Irshad, Dr Wilayat Hussain and Dr Mujahid Gilani, Afridi said that during 10-year tenure as K
ashmir Committee Chairman, Maulana Fazlur Rehman spent Rs 463 million out of allocated amount of Rs 474 million but did literally nothing for the K
ashmir cause.
“During the past ten years, the committee met only 24 times and 62 press releases were issued under th
e Maulana. Hence, each press release cost Pakistani exchequer 76 lakh. Only one press release was issued in two months precisely,” he
added.
Afridi said that th
e Maulana did not hold even a single meeting with the foreign dignitaries to lobby on K
ashmir in ten long years and when Maulana Fazlur Rehman was supposed to visit Europe in 2016 as part of lobbying after Burhan Wani’s martyrdom, Ijaz-ul-Haq ha
d to lead a 22-member parliamentary delegation as th
e Maulana did not join the delegation.
Similarly, he
added, th
e Maulana was not available to present a memorandum to the UN representative in Pakistan on the first anniversary of Burhan Wani’s martyrdom in 2017, and Ijaz-ul-Haq had to do the same with a delegation.
“Due to consistent reluctance of th
e Maulana to speak on Indian forces massacre in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & K
ashmir, a sub-committee headed by Ijaz-ul-Haq was formed to deal with K
ashmir diplomacy. Th
e Maulana however kept enjoying perks as K
ashmir Committee Chairman,” he
added.
“The manner in which the opposition parties have been waging a political circus for the last three days by using K
ashmir dispute for personal gains is is unfortunate, sad and worrying,” he said.
On the one hand, he
added, K
ashmiris are proud to bury their martyrs wrapped in Pakistani flags. “Since taking office, Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to act as K
ashmir’s ambassador and has taken the K
ashmir issue out of the cold and made it the focus of UN General Assembly (UNGA) and global debate,” he said.
He said due to effective diplomacy, the K
ashmir dispute was r
aised in the UNGA for three times after 55 years which is unprecedented success in our foreign policy front. The sacrifices of K
ashmiris and Imran Khan’s advocacy have internationalized the K
ashmir dispute and today K
ashmir has become a major issue in international forums, he
added.
Afridi said that fearing defeat, the opposition is now fighting its last battle for survival.
“After being rejected by the people and convicted by the courts, now the opposition has taken to the streets to take the country away from the path of development. But inshallah, this time too, defeat is their destiny,” he
added.
These three parties ruled the country for forty to fifty years and kept K
ashmir in the cold. Maulana Fazlur Rehman was the head of the K
ashmir Committee for ten years but he never r
aised K
ashmir in any forum.
Despite the worst performance of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the K
ashmir Committee was used as a political bribe and the Nawaz League and the People’s Party kept K
ashmir in the cold.
Sinc
e Maulana Fazlur Rehman is now also the head of PDM and last night as the PPP and Nawaz League speakers accused Imran Khan of bargaining for K
ashmir, I thought it appropriate to put some facts before the nation.