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How political ambitions of Pakistan turned paradise called Azad Kashmir into a living hell | After its formation, Pakistan had great political expectations from the Azad Kashmir, which was trategically nestled in the western mountainous region that adjoins Pakistan to the valley of Kashmir. However, those
ambitions not only led the country to fight several brutal wars with India, but
also turned the region once known as paradise into "a living hell," according
to an opinion published in Pakistan's The Dawn newspaper. "It forms an archer's
bow that is about 100 miles long and about 20-40 miles wide. The Pakistani security
elite hoped that an arrow fired from the bow would bring about the instant liberation
of the vale of Kashmir from Indian occupation," Ahmad Faruqui, a Pakistani defence
analyst, wrote in the editorial. "The first arrow was fired almost within days
of creation. It plunged the entire region of Kashmir into armed conflict. Fourteen
months later, a ceasefire sponsored by the United Nations took effect on Jan 1,
1949," he adds. The paper points out that people in Azad Kashmir don't even have
access to basic amenities as they are caught in the Indo-Pak conflict. "During
the past 62 years, the people of Azad Kashmir have been unable to arise out of
poverty in large measure because they are caught in the crossfire between India
and Pakistan," the report says. "The land which their elders knew as a mountain
paradise has been turned into a living hell. Of the four million people who inhabit
the region, nine of 10 live in extremely impoverished conditions in rural areas,"
it adds. Population growth is excessive, at 2.4 per cent per year, and the average
house holds no fewer than seven people. "Sadly, Azad Kashmir's future is as murky
today as it was in 1947," the article concludes. |
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