ISLAMABAD: I do not agree with the claim of Rustam Shah Mohmand in his article “Does Kashmir really matter to Pakistanis?”(September 3), in which he states that the resolution of the Kashmir dispute is not the concern of the majority of Pakistanis. I find it confusing how the ex-diplomat has concluded this result.
Everybody is aware that a great majority of Pakistanis feel very strongly about Kashmiris and have always been struggling for their liberation from the Indian yoke. Mr Mohmand seems to be influenced by Indian propaganda and favours their view that Kashmir should be put on the back burner and that we should, instead, concentrate on the issue of commerce between the two countries. Everybody knows that in the case of trade between the two countries, India enjoys a greater advantage compared to Pakistan. India, with her excessive production of industrial goods, is eager to look for more markets — especially next door to it. We, on the other hand, do not have many items to export to India and the balance of trade will always be in favour of our bigger neighbour.
We have always maintained that the creation of Pakistan is not complete without Kashmir becoming a part of the country and that we will always be in a precarious situation if Indian occupation of Kashmir becomes a permanent feature. That will happen if we put the issue on the back burner.
We must persist as we have always done. Without resolving the core issue of Kashmir, no settlement can be achieved between Pakistan and India. It is true that the issue is straining our resources but it is also a burden for the Indian economy. India will surely realise her blunder and allow Kashmiris their right to self-determination as they were promised under UN resolutions.
Dr Nisar A Kayani
Published in The Express Tribune, September 9th, 2015.
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