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http://www.dawn.com/2001/02/06/nat2.htm
Ayub missed hour to free Kashmir: Nasrullah
By Our Staff Reporter
LAHORE, Feb 5: Held Kashmir could have been freed had Pakistan’s armed forces entered the occupied territory soon after China defeated India in 1962 war but the chance was missed by Field Marshal Ayub Khan.
This was stated by Alliance for Restoration of Democracy chief Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan at a Kashmir Day seminar organized by the Jafria Youth at Karbala Gamey Shah on Monday.
He said at that time Western powers came to the rescue of India and forced Pakistan to enter into bilateral negotiations with it. Ayub Khan succumbed to the pressure exerted by the UK and US emissaries.
He said the proposal for bilateral dialogue was a conspiracy of Western powers to give India time to consolidate its defence.
“Ayub Khan did not bother to consult even his cabinet or take the National Assembly into confidence while agreeing to the proposal of foreign minister level talks,” the Nawabzada said.
A lot of time was wasted in six rounds of talks between Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan and Swarn Singh of India and as soon as India consolidated its defence by acquiring arms from the United Stated, the negotiations were allowed to break down, he added.
He disagreed with retired Pakistan diplomat Iqbal Akhund’s theory that Pakistan should discuss Kashmir issue separately and should not press for its resolution during bilateral talks.
“It will be betrayal to the blood of thousands of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the cause.”
Pakistan should never ignore the sacrifices of Kashmiri freedom-fighters for petty advantages like sugar trade etc., he said.
He said on Kashmir Day the people of Pakistan should show to the world that they were united and considered Kashmiris as part of their nation.
“We have already given Pakistani citizenship to thousands of Kashmiris. They have dual nationality as they cast their vote for electing their representatives in legislative assemblies both in Pakistan as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir. It is indeed a unique privilege which has been denied to Afghan refugees,” he said.
Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan refuted the impression that Pakistan’s support for the Kashmiri freedom-fighters was part of its expansionist designs and said: “We don’t want Kashmir as territory but are supporting them in their struggle for the right to self-determination.”
PML: Speakers at a meeting held at the Muslim League House expressed dissatisfaction over the Kashmir policy being pursued by the military government and demanded that the nation should be taken into confidence about developments on the issue.
Some of them said that the chief executive should not humiliate the nation by repeatedly making abortive efforts for a dialogue with Indian prime minister Vajpayee.
Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan was the chief guest of the meeting, presided over by acting PML president Javed Hashmi.
PML leaders said that people would continue to support the struggle of Kashmiris despite the fact that because of a military rule in the country their voices were being suppressed.
They said an APHC leader had recently said that Pakistan was the sole advocate of Kashmiris but its own case had been weakened for various reasons.
They said there was a time when the Indian prime minister had visited the Minar-i-Pakistan and thus accepted the Two-Nation ideology. But the situation had changed after the overthrow of the PML government.
If the Indian government struck any deal with the Pakistan government through US pressure, the PML would scrap any such deal after returning to power, they said.
A separate ceremony was held at the Shadman office of Mian Muhammad Azhar.
Speakers, including Syed Fakhar Imam, Sikandar Hayat Malhi, Mian Munir, Mian Waheed, Tariq Banday, Mehnaz Rafi, Faqir Husain Bukhari, and Saeedul Haq Siddiqui, praised the Kashmiris for their struggle for their right to self-determination.
Through a resolution, they said the government should not accept any foreign pressure for the solution of the Kashmir problem.
They said the UN should pay an urgent attention to the problem.
