Atif Bashir launches free Imran Khan committee in AJK

 

A staunch loyalist of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has constituted a committee to organise efforts across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and in Kashmiri diaspora community circles abroad for release of PTI’s founding chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan. 

Khawaja Atif Bashir, a former regional office bearer of PTI, told reporters that since Mr Khan had “fearlessly and zealously highlighted the cause of Kashmir at every international forum, it was incumbent upon every Kashmiri to play a vigorous role for his release.” 

“I have formed the ‘Free Imran Khan Committee’ to provide a platform to PTI loyalists, particularly the younger lot, within the state as well as abroad to raise voice for early freedom of the distinguished leader of Muslim Ummah,” he said. 

Mr Bashir informed that UK based Kashmiri activist, Hassan Shiba Naqvi, had been appointed as committee’s secretary to bring the overseas Kashmiris into the folds of this body and coordinate with like-minded people for a unified struggle for Mr Khan's release

“Shortly, the remaining office bearers of the committee will be picked from amongst the PTI members in other parts of the state and overseas,” he said. 

Mr Bashir announced that from the committee’s platform, protest camps and rallies would be held in all AJK cities and towns to apprise the public of the worst ever vendetta against the PTI founding chairman on the one hand and involve them in campaigning for his release on the other. 

Mr Bashir asserted that Imran Khan was a true patriotic leader and the politics of truth and fairness was his legacy. 

“As prime minister of Pakistan, he led the international voice in raising awareness on the grave consequences of consistent Islamophobia and hate speech and promoting inter-faith harmony,” he recalled.

Mr Khan’s consistent campaign had culminated in approval by the UN General Assembly of a resolution setting March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, he added. 

“Khan sahib is a man of principles who – unlike his opponents - does not believe in the politics of deals,” 

Mr Bashir said adding, neither will the PTI founder pretend illness nor accept offers to quit the country. 

He said Mr Khan’s achievements at home and abroad and clear-headed approach had compelled the nation to give a historic mandate to the PTI in the recently held general elections in Pakistan, notwithstanding all kinds of conspiracies against the party coupled with pre and post poll rigging.

         Ironically, the mandate given by the people was stolen by the power-hungry parties, he said. 

According to Mr Bashir, Mr Khan was popular not only in the liberated territory of Jammu and Kashmir but also in the occupied territory, where Kashmiris had displayed posters and banners imprinted with his portraits. 

Mr Bashir expressed the hope that decision-makers in Pakistan would soon bow to public pressure and release the country’s most popular leader without further loss of time. 

Tariq Naqash

Tariq Farooq seeks party meeting following 'verbal assaults' on senior PML-N leader

Expressing anguish and indignation at a recent press talk by some members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) cabinet, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) regional secretary general Chaudhry Tariq Farooq has urged regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir to immediately convene a joint meeting of the party’s legislators and office bearers to draw up a decisive course of action in this regard. 

On Wednesday, seven AJK ministers – three from the PTI renegades and two each from coalition partners PPP and PML-N – had held a joint press conference to shrug off, rather scoff at, the widely prevailing ‘speculations’ about the likeliness of no trust against Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. 

Though the ministers had avoided naming anyone, their comments had however left no doubt that they were trying to counter the narrative of PML-N vice president and former AJK premier Raja Farooq Haider, who has not only been publicly wigging PM Haq for his “ill-conceived policies” but has also been stressing upon PML-N’s early exit from the coalition government “to make good of the damages to its reputation among the masses.” 

However, while the PPP ministers expressed their views cautiously, the alleged “below the belt” assertions by senior minister Waqar Noor left a bad taste in the mouth of PML-N leaders and workers across the state. 

Mr Noor represents PML-N in the coalition government. Previously, from 2016 to 2021, he had served as a cabinet member in the Mr Haider led PML-N government. 

“…those making noise [about the change of government] in the state are the ones whose extortions have stopped… But nothing will happen, [because] the government cannot be changed according to someone’s personal wish… The prime minister will not succumb to blackmailing by anyone,” Mr Noor had said.  

Taking strong exception to the press talk, Mr Farooq, the PML-N regional secretary general, asserted that the government and some other elements were desperately trying to cause dissension and discord in his party.

“They are out to raise someone from within our party to fulfil their nefarious agenda. But let me declare again that their machinations are doomed to failure,” he said, in a statement on Sunday.  

Terming Mr Haider as a gifted and respectable political leader, Mr Farooq maintained that not only the PML-N workers but the majority of people across the state stood by the former premier’s standpoint on governance and exit from the coalition government. 

“There are however a few people practising the politics of expediency,” he said, but stopped short of specifically pointing out anyone. 

Referring to Mr Haider’s position on a no-trust motion against Mr Haq, Mr Farooq asserted that Mr Haider was genuinely concerned about the “escalation of negative sentiments and anti-Pakistan activities, closure of developmental activities as well as government’s hollow claims about austerity.”

“People across the liberated territory acknowledge and appreciate the political role of Raja Farooq Haider and hold him in high esteem. If the government takes any revengeful action against him or any other political figure, it will be strongly resisted. We will not leave the field open for anyone under any circumstances.” 

The PML-N secretary general pointed out that right from the formation of the coalition government, the PML-N parliamentary party was cut off from the party policy. 

He claimed that the regional PML-N leadership was under intense pressure from the workers that instead of sharing the burden of the failures of the coalition government for the sake of just four ministries, the PML-N should quit it without further ado. 

However, a final decision in this regard would be taken by party’s supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and president Shehbaz Sharif who would soon be apprised of the prevailing situation, particularly the repercussions of a further stay in the coalitions, he said.

He termed the senior minister Noor’s remarks at the press conference as painful for every PML-N worker. 

“Actually, after joining the Haq led government, the senior minister has pulled the plug on his relationship and contacts with the PML-N and its workers. Rather, he is equally involved in vindictive activities against the party workers,” he alleged.  

Mr Farooq stressed upon the regional president to immediately summon a meeting of office bearers to hold an in-depth discussion on the situation and work out a decisive future course of action.

“Any further delay in this regard is bound to multiply doubts and suspicion,” he warned.

By Tariq Naqash

K H Khurshid remembered on his 36th death anniversary

Senior and young political leaders from different schools of thought paid glowing tributes to the towering Kashmiri leader Khurshid Hassan Khurshid, commonly known as K H Khurshid, on the occasion of his 36^th death anniversary on Monday, acknowledging that his ideology was the only way forward for the long overdue liberation of Jammu and Kashmir from Indian subjugation. 

The death anniversary function was held in the Municipal Corporation Hall, yards away from the late leader’s tomb, which is a replica of the mausoleum of the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah who Mr Khurshid had served as private secretary from 1944 to late 1947. 

In October 1947, the Quaid sent him to Srinagar reportedly with a task but there he was arrested and jailed by the Indian forces. He was finally repatriated in a prisoner exchange in 1949. 

On May 1, 1959, Mr Khurshid was appointed as AJK President in accordance with the procedure in vogue at that time. He accepted this office at the insistence of Ms Fatima Jinnah who treated him as her son and had also persuaded him to earn the bar-at-law degree from Lincoln’s Inn UK.

Two years after assuming the president's office, Mr Khurshid conducted the first ever elections under basic democracy system in AJK and also became the liberated territory's first elected president. 

In 1962, he founded a political party by the name of Jammu Kashmir Liberation League (JKLL) to ensure an all-out and focused struggle for liberation of India occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The JKLL ideology called for recognition of the AJK government by Pakistan and other nations as a ‘revolutionary provisional successor government’ of the deposed Dogra ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, so that it could take the freedom movement to its logical end with a free hand.

However, the parochial power-hungry opponents of Mr Khurshid spared no effort to run a relentless smear campaign against him by wrongly dubbing his ideology averse to the interests of Pakistan. 

An icon of integrity, honesty, intelligence and sincerity, Mr Khurshid died in a road accident on GT Road while travelling in public transport on March 11, 1988 at age 64. At the time of his death, people found only Rs 37 in his pocket.    

“Khurshid sahib was a matchless leader who used his incredible leadership skills and acumen to lead the Kashmiri nation towards the true and practicable path to their freedom. Leaders like him are born in centuries,” said AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker and senior PPP leader Chaudhry Latif Akbar in his address as chief guest at the death anniversary function. 

“The honesty, integrity, principles, ideals, courage, bravery make him a role model for every Kashmiri, regardless of his faith, caste, creed and political affiliation,” he added. 

Mr Akbar maintained that the usefulness of Mr Khurshid’s ideology was now being acknowledged even by the people who had religiously opposed it tooth and nail for years together.

“If we have to break the status quo, we will have to take bold decisions because we can no longer afford more bloodbath across the bloody divide,” he said. 

Mr Akbar reiterated his suggestion to the new government in Islamabad to host a national Kashmir conference to devise a workable strategy in the wake of India’s arbitrary steps and machinations with regard to the occupied territory.

Speaking on the occasion, JKLL president Khawaja Manzoor Qadir maintained that only the ideology presented by K H Khurshid offered the way forward for settlement of the longstanding Kashmir issue.

"Our party would continue to enlighten the policy makers on the dividends of the implementation of this ideology. The sooner they realise it the better it would be for the nation which has offered hundreds of thousands of lives and other sacrifices for their freedom,” he said. 

The death anniversary function was also attended by the late leader’s daughter Yasmeen Khurshid. However, she declined to address it because of being overpowered by emotions. She was seen trying to hold back her tears for most of the time during the function. 

It may be recalled that on January 30 this year, Mr Khurshid’s widow – Begum Surraya Khurshid – had also breathed her last at age 94 after some medical complications. 

Earlier in the morning Quran Khawani was held at the mausoleum of Mr Khurshid. Throughout the day, political activists and common people also kept on visiting the mausoleum throughout the day to pay respects to the great leader and offer Fatiha for his deliverance.  

However, what was surprising for many on Monday was the presence of an army contingent at the mausoleum of Mr Khurshid – first time in 36 years – who presented a salute soon after a local military officer laid floral wreath on the grave on behalf of his institution. 

Tariq Naqash