Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition PML-N Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday telephoned hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani from PoK to reassure him of his party’s “unconditional support” to the Kashmiri “freedom” cause. Mr Sharif is currently on an election tour of the held-territory.
A spokesperson of the Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference faction said here that during their 15-minute talk, the former Pakistani Premier apart from briefly discussing important political issues inquired from the octogenarian leader about the weather conditions prevailing in the Valley. “On this he (Mr Geelani) told him that no doubt Kashmir Valley is captivating and the weather is pleasant but the place has been reduced into a big, beautiful prison where the presence of over a million Indian security forces has made the life of its hapless population miserable.” He alleged that Jammu and Kashmir was “virtually reeling under martial law and the human rights are being violated on daily basis”. He blamed some of the “negative aspects” witnessed at the Kashmir front in recent years on the “wrong policies” pursued by the successive Pakistani governments vis-à-vis the issue and urged the PML-N leader and through him other political parties of the neighbouring country “not to deviate from your country’s historical stance on Kashmir.”
The spokesperson Ayaz Akbar said Mr Geelani expressed his serious concern at the deteriorating security situation in Pakistan but said that it was not any natural calamity that Pakistan was reeling through but result of wrong decision taken by the country’s governments in the past especially its “complete surrender” in the wake of 9/11 attacks in the US.