Pakistan-administered Kashmir's PM calls for 'military' action

[Kailash Kumar]

Pakistan-administered Kashmir's PM calls for 'military' action

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Raja Farooq Haider says Pakistan needs to take 'daring steps' against India.

Asad Hashim

8 hours ago

Haider said he submitted a proposal to Pakistan's Foreign Office to ramp up diplomatic engagement on the Kashmir issue

Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir - The prime minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir has called for the Pakistani government to act "militarily" in the Kashmir dispute with neighbouring India, on the anniversary of Indian air attacks on Pakistani soil that sparked a military standoff between the nuclear-armed countries.

Raja Farooq Haider, the elected prime minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a semi-autonomous state, spoke to Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

"The government of Pakistan needs to take some daring steps," he said in the capital Muzaffarabad. "They have to give India a fundamental punch in [Indian-administered] Kashmir. This is my considered opinion."

Asked what kind of action he was asking for, Haider said it should be both diplomatic and military, and that he conveyed this opinion to the Pakistani government, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"If you do not have military force, a diplomatic action does not work."

Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars since gaining independence in 1947 over the mountainous territory of Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of. The two territories are separated by a de facto border known as the Line of Control.

On February 26, 2019, India carried out air raids on Pakistani territory in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with at least four bombs hitting a mountainside and farming village, causing no apparent casualties.

India claimed the raids killed "a very large number of [Jaish-e-Muhammad] terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis".

The Jaish-e-Muhammad armed group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack earlier in February last year that killed more than 40 Indian security personnel in the Indian-administered Kashmir town of Pulwama.

Diplomatic pressure
Since the air attacks, and the ensuing military standoff that saw Pakistan shoot down an Indian fighter jet, tensions have been high between the South Asian neighbours.

Shelling across the Line of Control killed at least 60 civilians in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in 2019, a marked uptick from previous years, according to Pakistani government data.

India says Pakistani shelling into Indian-administered Kashmir has also killed several civilians, although the government did not provide specific data.

In August, India revoked a special constitutional status for Indian-administered Kashmir, effectively absorbing the territory into its political and administrative mainstream.

The move was decried by Pakistan as unacceptable, given the territory is subject to a bilateral dispute.

Haider alleged India's move to integrate the portion of Kashmir it controls was "an attempt to change the demography" of the region by allowing outsiders to migrate there.

Haider said he submitted a proposal to Pakistan's Foreign Office earlier this month to ramp up diplomatic engagement on the Kashmir issue.

"I have suggested that [the Pakistan-administered Kashmir government] open offices in the P5 countries [and in] Saudi Arabia, UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran and Turkey, as well as establish embassies in Geneva and EU headquarters at Brussels, and at the UN headquarters in New York," he said.

"We need to work in these countries to save people from India's fascist designs. [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi is a new Hitler of the 21st century."

Speaking in the same vein, Pakistani Prime Minister Khan on Wednesday criticised Indian police and security forces over violence in the capital New Delhi that has seen at least 24 people killed in sectarian attacks.

"Today in India we are seeing the Nazi-inspired RSS ideology take over a nuclear-armed state of over a billion people," said Khan, referring to the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh organisation, with which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is closely affiliated.

"Whenever a racist ideology based on hatred takes over, it leads to bloodshed."

Haider said he was wary of US President Donald Trump's repeated offers to mediate over the crisis in Kashmir.

"I am against the US mediation because it will always be in the favour of India," he said. "They have interests in India. These days they have compulsions [regarding Pakistan] because of Afghanistan [and the peace process], but otherwise when would they ever take our side?"

Haider said he did approve, however, of the idea of international mediation in general as "it means that Kashmir is not being treated as an internal issue of India".

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...pm-calls-military-action-200226113022856.html

 

[Talwar e Pakistan]

Naive and unrealistic.

 

[Marker]

Both Pakistan and India are nuclear states.

Therefore entering into a full-fledged conflict is catastrophe for both sides.

Instead Pakistan should isolate India using aggressive diplomacy.

The proposal forwarded to foreign office of Pakistan by the prime minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir are the initial steps. More should follow.......

"I have suggested that [the Pakistan-administered Kashmir government] (1) open offices in the P5 countries [and in] (2) Saudi Arabia, UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran and Turkey, as well as (3) establish embassies in Geneva and EU headquarters at Brussels, and (4) at the UN headquarters in New York. We need to work in these countries to save people from India's fascist designs. [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi is a new Hitler of the 21st century."

Meanwhile ISI should carry out clandestine operations inside Indian Occupied Kashmir and other parts of India with three major goals - (1) complete collapse of India's economy, (2) create political turmoil, (3) total failure of law and order - an end game similar to USSR in early 90s.

 

[airmarshal]

This Noon Leagi never made such provocative statements when his boss the thief Sharif was the PM. When he did not a foreign minister. When Mulla Fuzla was chairman Kashmir Committee.

 

[tman786]

Azad Kashmir PM is a PMLN slave...funny how he demands military response but was silent when India was bombing LOC during Nawaz tenure

 

[Signalian]

Military action on LOC is always there.

 

[khansaheeb]

Azad Kashmir PM is a PMLN slave...funny how he demands military response but was silent when India was bombing LOC during Nawaz tenure

Yeh, hope the PM will start training the Kashmiri boys on how to use guns.

 

[El Sidd]

Naive and unrealistic.

How? You want to be King of One Liners. Step up for a duel in a respectful manner.

This Noon Leagi never made such provocative statements when his boss the thief Sharif was the PM. When he did not a foreign minister. When Mulla Fuzla was chairman Kashmir Committee.

Thank You for your support of Pakistan government. Government of Kashmir has my complete support.

Azad Kashmir PM is a PMLN slave...funny how he demands military response but was silent when India was bombing LOC during Nawaz tenure

Are you a PTI fascist?

Military action on LOC is always there.

What is the legal status of LoC now?

 

[CrazyZ]

Possible only if Pakistan commits to total war (WW2 style). The whole nation would have to be mobilized for the war effort and accept massive hardship. Even then it would it take years to build the forces and infrastructure required. This is not really practical.

Low grade conventional attacks on the LOC or unconventional attacks in Kashmir achieve little strategically and could open us up to the terrorist sponsor label.

India is more unstable than many experts realize. While I don't think thier will be a civil war in India in the near term, it has high unemployment and divisive politics. Better to cause sustained political and economic instability in India while developing a strong self sufficient economy in Pakistan. Then we dance if conditions are right.

 

[War Historian]

Very sad. People like you never look beyond the political alignment. No body can convince you except imran khan. If he say you will jump in fire.

This Noon Leagi never made such provocative statements when his boss the thief Sharif was the PM. When he did not a foreign minister. When Mulla Fuzla was chairman Kashmir Committee.

Azad Kashmir PM is a PMLN slave...funny how he demands military response but was silent when India was bombing LOC during Nawaz tenure

 

[Yaseen1]

those who are living in dream that india will not invade Azad kashmir are living in foolsparadise and the way indian current govt is killing their own people in delhi it is evident that in next few months they will wage a limited war in the region below nuclear threshold having complete silent support of u.s and israel

 

[War Historian]

Then Pakistan must move away from it stance on kashmir. And just leave the Kashmiri people on their own. Then we must sign a peace pact with india. And no need for more military build up, current military power in enough for deterrence for next decades and start spending money on social, health and education sector. Thanks

Possible only if Pakistan commits to total war (WW2 style). The whole nation would have to be mobilized for the war effort and accept massive hardship. Even then it would it take years to build the forces and infrastructure required. This is not really practical.

Low grade conventional attacks on the LOC or unconventional attacks in Kashmir achieve little strategically and could open us up to the terrorist sponsor label.

India is more unstable than many experts realize. While I don't think will be a civil war in India in the near term, it has high unemployment and divisive politics. Better to cause sustained political and economic instability in India while developing a strong self sufficient economy in Pakistan. Then we dance if conditions are right.

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

those who are living in dream that india will not invade Azad kashmir are living in foolsparadise and the way indian current govt is killing their own people in delhi it is evident that in next few months they will wage a limited war in the region below nuclear threshold having complete silent support of u.s and israel

War is coming whether we like it our not. Volunteer armies need to be established throughout Pakistan, where civilians can receive part-time instruction in self-defense, gunmanship, and basic military training.

Factories need to be established to produce wartime goods such as rations, rifles, and ammunitions.

If India attacks Pakistan in full force, it will be a Total War.

FATF is trying to break our strength by targetting LeK and JeM, which never engages in terrorism, but only spoke up for the rights of Kashmiris. We should ignore it and move forward.

A regiment should be created for foreigners who wish to fight or work for Pakistan and in turn gain citizenship, which 3 million Afghans would appreciate.

We should not hold back, RSS cadres are not.

 

[Yaseen1]

the same was done by Muslim rulers in iraq when halaqu khan attacked their surrounding but at end he not cared about such agreements and killed people of iraq so we should learn from history

Then Pakistan must move away from it stance on kashmir. And just leave the Kashmiri people on their own. Then we must sign a peace pact with india. And no need for more military build up, current military power in enough for deterrence for next decades and start spending money on social, health and education sector. Thanks

 

[BL33D]

Possible only if Pakistan commits to total war (WW2 style). The whole nation would have to be mobilized for the war effort and accept massive hardship. Even then it would it take years to build the forces and infrastructure required. This is not really practical.

Low grade conventional attacks on the LOC or unconventional attacks in Kashmir achieve little strategically and could open us up to the terrorist sponsor label.

India is more unstable than many experts realize. While I don't think will be a civil war in India in the near term, it has high unemployment and divisive politics. Better to cause sustained political and economic instability in India while developing a strong self sufficient economy in Pakistan. Then we dance if conditions are right.

I agree with it. Indian politics is unstable and vulnerable to interference.
This has been one of the worst period in recent times with low growth and political and communal turmoil.
But I am happy for all the lows that has been reached in such a short time, all the legacy issues of A370, Ram mandir, CAA were solved, and that points that things will gradually be better.
Pakistan should try to inflict as much damage as possible during this period because such an opportunity wont come in near future.