LAHORE – The country needs a military-democracy, combination of civilians and military in a bid to pursue the Kashmir issue with strength as well as doing away with other serious crisis, proposed Sardar Attique Ahmed, President All Jammu Kashmir Muslim Conference (AJKMC).
He said, “I am a strong supporter of the idea since long that Pakistan needs a military-democracy where civilians and military will be on the same page in an effort to solve the Kashmir issue in its finality and pulling the country out from other serious crisis”. He said that the Army leadership must be consulted on all national and international affairs.
Attique, who is also former Premier of Azad Jammu Kashmir, alleged that some politicians and some political analysts were involved in a smear campaign against the Armed Forces and other security agencies.
He pointed out, “no Indian politician, media person or analyst speaks against their military or other security services despite their complete failure in Occupied Kashmir”.
He said that former military government of Pakistan had facilitated several visits of Hurriat leaders, while the incumbent ruling coalition had invited them once. AJKMC chief said that Kashmiris were not against the normalisation of relations between Pakistan and India but they desire that Kashmir should be the top agenda item of negotiations, while Kashmiris should be part of the talks.
Attique maintained that PPP-led government has been pursuing a weak policy regarding Kashmir issue, resultantly damaging the Kashmir cause, Pakistan’s water rights and defence interests of the country.
He said that all the stakeholders of the Kashmir issue should understand that resolution of Kashmir problem was the guarantee to the ultimate peace in the region. Attique asked the Army to not to become part of the security for the next elections under President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, as the Army might resort to firing upon at the troublemakers who he thinks would use violence to carry out rigging.
He proposed creating more than two dozen provinces to create balance among various people in the country as well as to end their deprivations.
Talking about the trade between the two parts of Kashmir, he suggested that the Line of Control should be converted into a Line of Commerce by constituting a developmental forum for this purpose, while Gilgit Baltistan should also be included in it. He also proposed that Election Commission should made arrangements to hold next elections with electronic polling.
