ISLAMABAD: Advisor to Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira has said that the younger generations need to be educated about the Kashmir issue so that they could take forward the case vigorously.
Speaking at an event here Friday, he said, “We should educate the younger generations about the Kashmir issue through debates at our educational institutions. I have started this in my short tenure, but it needs to be taken forward,” he said.
He was of the view that there was a need to keep reminding the world about the issue of Kashmir, so that when they fight this case tomorrow, they could fight better. “Because of Pakistan’s political struggle and economic issues, many of our foreign policy issues, including Kashmir, have been pushed back a bit, which should not be the case.” he said.
Kaira said economic and political stability in Pakistan will lead to better advocacy for Kashmir and Pakistan worldwide. “Despite having different political manifestos, all political parties agreed on this, and the basis of my Party, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), was the Kashmir issue.
He said a basic document was written when PPP was formed. It was written that there should be a struggle for a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue, he added. All the political parties have given importance to the issue of Kashmir, but yes, more needs to be done, and on top of that, our foreign office needs to fight this case in a better way.
“I also asked to change the structure of the Kashmir Ministry. The general perception about the ministry as it is now, is that we take up the entire Kashmir case even though it is linked only with the administrative affairs of Azad Kashmir,” he added.
He was of the view that major movements in the world have been successful because of intellectuals behind them, and this is also an intellectual movement for the freedom of Kashmir. In Kashmir, it’s not a Hindu-Muslim dispute, rather it’s a dispute involving Kashmiris. Hindus and other religions in Kashmir are in minority, and Muslims are in the majority. “We should talk about human rights for all. We should tell the world that it’s a humanitarian issue for Kashmiri people irrespective of their religion.”
India is trying to link the issue with Muslims and extremists. Extremism exists in various regions of the world and has nothing to do specifically with Islam and Muslims. We must put more efforts into media and academia to counter this propaganda in the world, Kaira added.
He believed that a strong and stable Pakistan can better fight the Kashmir issue globally, and the world will listen if we stand on our own feet.
