KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
The Jama’at Ud-Dawah men took out rallies in cities like Lahore, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Muzaffarabad on Friday to mark ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’.
The JuD chief Hafiz Saeed led the rally in Islamabad while his relative Hafiz Abdur Rehman Maki addressed a big gathering in Lahore.
The ruling PML-N, Jama’at-e-Islami and other political and religious parties also held rallies to express solidarity with Kashmiris.
The JuD also held several camps in Lahore which showed videos about alleged atrocities in Kashmir on big screens.
Addressing a ‘Solidarity Kashmir Conference’ in Mirpur yesterday, Saeed said, “Pakistan should be thankful to Kashmiri militant leader Syed Salahuddin, who heads the United Jihad Council that had claimed responsibility for the Pathankot terror attack.”
“Syed Salahuddin is a great well-wisher of Pakistan. He has taken Pakistan out of trouble by accepting the responsibility of Pathankot airbase attack. Pakistan should be thankful to him,” said the founder leader of banned Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Saeed warned India that if “war” in Kashmir further prolonged it would have to pay a heavy price for it.
The JuD chief said, “on the occasion of Kashmir Day I want more intensity in the freedom struggle. Every child in Pakistan is ready to sacrifice his life for Kashmir’s freedom.”
“Our Constitution also demands us to support Kashmiris in their freedom struggle,” he added.
Saeed asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to sever relations with India and said that there should be no relations with it “till Kashmir is freed”.
Saeed said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should not “sacrifice” Kashmir for the sake of trade with India.
“The rulers have no right to put the Kashmir issue on back-burner and hold talks with India on other issues like trade,” he said.
“I give guarantee that Kashmir will be freed the day the prime minister, army chief, all political parties and Kashmiri organisations are on same page on the issue,” he said.
Earlier, addressing a rally, Saeed had said, “800,000 Indian troops are committing genocide on Kashmiris. Don’t they have a right to carry out Pathankot-style attacks for their defence?…You have only seen one attack on Pathankot. Matters could easily escalate.”
Every year February 5 is observed as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PaK) to pledge support for the people of Kashmir. (Agencies)
