Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of Pakistan has ruled out the maintenance of peace in South Asia until the conflict over Jammu and Kashmir, which is the region’s main issue, is settled through negotiation, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, and the fundamentals of international law.
While Pakistan and Japan are located in different parts of the Asian continent, the foreign minister noted in his remarks at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) on the topic “Pakistan and Japan in the Asian context” that they shared significant convergences in terms of their outlook and vision for the region.
“Pakistan’s position has always been clear: there can be no peace in South Asia until the region’s core dispute – the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir – is resolved through dialogue and in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions and the principles of international law,” he stressed.
Pakistan has always been ready to work towards such a resolution, he said, adding tragically, Pakistan did not have a partner for peace in South Asia.
The foreign minister said “India is in the grip of a form of religious hysteria that has closed out any space for dialogue and diplomacy.”
While this was expected given the ideology of India’s ruling party, what was surprising – and disappointing, he said, was the silence of the international community on India’s oppression in Kashmir and its provocations against a much smaller neighbor
Meanwhile, Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has termed July 5, 1977, as a black day in national history.
He said that this day will continue to remind us how a power-hungry dictator pushed the entire nation into the mire of extremism, terrorism, Kalashnikov and drug culture under the guise of religion, from which even after 46 years, we still could not get rid of them completely.
On July 5, 1977, the tin-pot dictator General Zia-ul-Haq seized power by unconstitutionally overthrowing the government of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first elected prime minister of Pakistan and the most popular leader, and deprived the citizens of their basic rights. Since then, Pakistanis around the world observe the 5th of July as Black Day.
According to the statement issued by Media Cell Bilawal House, the Chairman of PPP further said in his message that dictator Zia is a culprit of the Constitution of Pakistan and the Pakistani nation.
He said that the way civil and human rights were violated during the dictatorship of General Zia and the way atrocities were committed on those who demanded the restoration of democracy, humanity will always be ashamed of such crimes.
Bilawal said that the nation is well aware of the fact that a handful of people who follow dictator Zia’s thinking are still busy making conspiracies against the people’s right to rule in their hunger for power, but failure is their destiny. “The era of dictators and puppets has become a thing of the past. Now there is only democracy in the present and future of Pakistan,” he added.
The PPP Chairman saluted the Jiyalas (party workers) who were flogged, endured the hardships of imprisonment and embraced martyrdom for the sake of democracy during the Zia regime.
He also vowed that his party will continue struggling with the same determination and courage to fulfil the mission of safeguarding the unanimous Constitution of 1973 and the parliamentary system of democracy and establishing a society based on equality as given by Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, just like Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was active and offered unmatched sacrifices throughout her life for this cause.
