ISLAMABAD: A senior Hurriyat leader and Convener of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK)) chapter, Ghulam Muhammad Safi, has rejected perceptions that Kashmiris are anti-Pakistan, while reaffirming support for Pakistan’s role in advocating the Kashmir cause internationally.
Addressing a gathering in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Safi said a “false impression” was being created that Kashmiris were against Pakistan due to slogans raised by certain elements during recent events.
He said those speaking against Pakistan “can only be miscreants” and stressed that such views do not represent the position of the APHC or the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
“Through this gathering today, we want to tell the entire Pakistani nation, the leadership of Pakistan, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that those who speak against Pakistan can only be miscreants,” he said, adding that this was not the position of the Hurriyat Conference or Kashmiris from occupied Kashmir.
Safi praised Pakistan’s diplomatic support for the Kashmir issue, stating that Islamabad has consistently raised the matter at international forums, including the United Nations Security Council, the UN General Assembly, and Geneva-based human rights bodies.
He said Pakistan had never missed an opportunity to highlight the Kashmir dispute globally, adding that it would be “ungrateful” to oppose a country that continues to support the Kashmiri cause.
The APHC leader also said that while some demands raised by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in AJK were genuine, such issues should be resolved through constitutional and legal means rather than through street protests that could lead to violence.
He further criticised what he described as selective international attention on developments in AJK, questioning why similar concerns were not raised during past human rights violations in IIOJK.
Safi reiterated that while the APHC supports legitimate public concerns, it rejects any attempt to equate India and Pakistan, stating that such comparisons are unacceptable to the Hurriyat leadership.
The remarks come amid ongoing discussions surrounding the JAAC protests in AJK and concerns over anti-state slogans raised by some miscreants during some demonstrations.
The Hurriyat Conference sought to distinguish its position from those raising anti-Pakistan slogans while acknowledging the legitimacy of certain public demands.
