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Pakistan will continue to support the K-cause: Gilani | Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has once
again said that Islamabad would continue its support to the Kashmiri people and
the government's decision to give autonomy to Gilgit Baltistan does not mean that
it has shelved the Kashmir issue. "We gave internal autonomy, sovereignty to Gilgit
Baltistan which was a long standing demand of its people but this does not mean
that we have forgotten the Kashmir issue. We will continue to give moral and diplomatic
support to the Kashmiri people," Gilani said. The prime minister said the government
had not altered its stance on the Kashmir issue by awarding autonomy to the Northern
Areas. He said Kashmir was the cornerstone of the PPP's foreign policy, and support
to the cause would continue. Interacting with media persons during an Iftar dinner
hosted by Sindh Governor Dr. Ishratul Ebad Khan, Gilani stressed that Pakistan
was not a 'failed state', saying the country has a 'strong democratic government,
independent judiciary, free media'. Referring to the Swat military operation,
Gilani said security forces have 'successfully' defeated extremism and militancy
with full support of the masses. "NATO forces are fighting in Afghanistan for
last five and a half years but Pakistan's armed forces successfully carried out
the operation against extremists and terrorists in Malakand in eight weeks," The
Dawn quoted Gilani, as saying. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi
has said that there is a need to project the Kashmir issue more vigorously and
the role of Kashmiri leadership was extremely important in this context. Briefing
political leaders of the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) on the Gilgit-Baltistan
reforms, Qureshi said resolution of the Kashmir issue was the key to a durable
peace in the region. "We feel that Kashmir dispute is central to Pakistan-India
relations, which highlights the need for the Kashmiris to be associated with the
dialogue process," Qureshi said. He assured the leaders that Pakistan has been
making consistent efforts to project the Kashmir cause at various international
levels. Commenting on the water dispute with India, Qureshi said : "We have emphasized
upon the Indian side that there was a need to ensure respect to Indus Waters Treaty
and the commitment to address concerns related thereto." |
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