ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Zahid Hafeez on Wednesday said that there is no change whatsoever in Pakistan’s position on the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan’s position is anchored on the United Nations (UN) resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
The spokesman made this statement while briefing the members of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir at the Parliament House. Shehryar Khan Afridi, chairman of the committee, chaired the meeting.
Zahid said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement made in Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), was consistent with Pakistan’s longstanding policy on the disputed territory, adding Pakistan would continue its support of Kashmiris at all forums.
He said that the recent understanding between the Pakistani and Indian military to observe the Line of Control (LoC) Ceasefire Agreement (2003) was aimed at saving the lives and prosperities of the Kashmiri people living on both sides of the LoC.
“To save Kashmiri lives and to provide some comfort to Kashmiris on both sides of the LoC, it was necessary to abide by the ceasefire agreement,” he said.
He said that the focus was on purely military understanding on military mechanisms reached about the ceasefire on the LoC.
He added that Pakistan believes that any violation of the agreement may jeopardise regional peace and may also hurt the Kashmiris living on both sides of the LoC.
“There is absolutely no change in Pakistan’s stance on resolving Kashmir dispute through dialogue and under the UN resolutions on Kashmir dispute,” he said.
Afridi said that the pertinent questions of Khurram Dastagir Khan would be addressed by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the next meeting.
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Chairman Saleem Ahmed on the occasion said that 50 TV channels had given a specific time to provide coverage of the Kashmir issue and 38 channels had covered Kashmir in terms of documentaries, songs and programmes.
He said that only in February, 10 hours of coverage was given by each TV channel. While the prime minister’s speech in Kotli was covered by 48 TV channels. He added that PEMRA can direct private channels to air 10 per cent of its total content under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Afridi directed that private TV channels must develop telefilms, dramas and special awareness programmes to project awareness on the Kashmir dispute.
The committee chairman also took exception to the absence of the regional head of Facebook from the committee meeting wherein the official refused to attend the meeting.
Afridi directed the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) chairman to ensure that the Facebook regional representative attend the next meeting of the committee and respond to the questions raised by the committee members.
PTA Chairman Major General (r) Amir Azeem Bajwa briefed that Facebook has yet to block a single account of a Pakistani user while one account was reported in the year 2020. He said that the PTA was in contact with Facebook and the organisation was establishing its office in Pakistan to ensure compliance with local laws.
In this regard, Afridi also directed PTA chairman to ensure compliance with state policy protocols by the social media site.
He asked the PTA chairman to fix an online meeting with the regional representative of Facebook to ensure that Kashmiri and Pakistani users are provided equal opportunities at social media sites.
Later, the Ministry of Information and its attached departments, including Radio Pakistan, EP Wing, PID, PTV, ISA and APP, made presentations to brief the parliamentary committee on the projection of the Kashmir dispute.
The committee also passed a resolution to welcome the commitment shown by Prime Minister Imran for linking the resolution of the Kashmir dispute with regional peace and stability.
The resolution acknowledged the role played by Prime Minister Imran as an ambassador for Kashmiris and extended full support to the efforts being made for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
The resolution said that Kashmir is a jugular vein of Pakistan per the vision of the father of the nation Mohammad Ali Jinnah and stated that Pakistan would resolve the Kashmir dispute in line with the UN resolutions on the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir.
The resolution demanded the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and other international human rights organizations to ensure an immediate release of all the political prisoners of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), especially senior leaders of the Hurriyat Conference, who have been put behind bars for decades without any conviction.
The resolution specifically called for the release of Syed Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam Bhat, Yasin Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Ashraf Sehrai, Asiya Andrabi, Fehmida Sofi, Naheeda Nasreen and others who have been subjected to inhuman treatment in prisons and demanded to shift all the women prisoners of IOK back to Kashmiri prisons.
The resolution also called for the provision of basic facilities, medical assistance and access of families to the Kashmiri prisoners who are mostly shifted to the infamous Tehar Jail of India.
