DNA
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and will continue to extend its moral, political and diplomatic support for its Kashmiri brethren in their struggle for self-determination, said Engr. Aamir Hassan, Secretary National Security Division (NSD)He was addressing a Roundtable discussion titled “Ramifications of 5th August 2019: Way Forward on Kashmir” organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) here on Thursday. The Secretary NSD said that it had been four years since India’s revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by India. The Indian actions were not only in a clear violation of the UNSC resolutions but were also reflective of the systematic aggression being inflicted on Kashmiris in the form of collective punishments, he added. He further said that while the atrocities in the IIOJ&K had only intensified in magnitude over the years, the resolve of the Kashmiris was commendable and despite our internal challenges, Kashmir was and will continue to remain a primary national security concern for Pakistan.
Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani while discussing the history of diplomatic efforts said that effective diplomacy was the only way forward, however, in order for such an endeavor to proceed and bear fruitful results, willingness of both parties and internal political consensus in the respective countries was imperative. He commented that the Indian actions in 2019 were not only a violation of the Indian constitution and the UNSC resolutions but were also against the commitments of the Indian leadership made with the Kashmiris. He said that political consensus, and an active role of media and the international community were integral in ensuring that the Kashmir cause stays alive.
Dr Salma Malik, Assistant Professor at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) and Mr Oves Anwar, Director Research at Research Society for International Law agreed that there was a serious void of data on Kashmir within the Pakistani academia and serious corrective measures were required to ensure narrative production that was founded in facts.
