Islamabad, May 12 (ANI): Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider has denied allegations levelled against him in a TV programme, and said that he is “as patriotic as any other Pakistani citizen, while fulfilling the role of a key person in the valley’s administrative matters.”
Addressing a press conference, he said he would inform Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani about the details of the TV programme, and “ask him to take action against the person responsible for deliberately defaming and demoralising him at the forum of state-run media.”
He also ruled out differences in the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AKJMC), saying the “ruling party is successfully running POK’s affairs”.
Paying respect and homage to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the POK premier said he was “shocked beyond belief” over accusations that he had spoken disrespectfully of Jinnah.
“How I can utter such words,” the Daily Times quoted him, as saying.
Haider added that he and his forefathers had never accepted the slavery of English rulers, and played a cohesive role in the freedom movement, and succeeded in gaining a separate homeland. (ANI)
Radio Pakistan unhappy over criticism of Jaswant Singh book on Jinnah
Abohar, Sep.3 (ANI): The expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh has got a new fan in Punjabi Durbar programme of Radio Pakistan.
In its latest edition, the Punjabi Durbar programme has described all political parties of India be it Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress or Shiv Sena being anti-Pakistan for voicing objection to Jaswant Singh’s book- “Jinnah-India, Partition, Independence”.
In its recent Punjabi Durbar Programme, Radio Pakistan said that Jaswant Singh has paid a huge price for his biography of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
Many Indian scholars have expressed sympathy with Jaswant Singh, but have taken exception to Pakistan Radio describing all Indian political parties as anti-Pakistan.
Anil Kumar, a historian and a commentator on current affairs has stated that political parties in India have tried their best to cultivate good relations with Pakistan ever since independence.
“India has been maintaining friendly relationship with Pakistan since 1947. India parted with funds held by united India, when Jinnah demanded it. Even after Pakistani aggression in 1965 and 1971, India returned to Pakistan the territory which was in India’s possession in the hope that there would be cordial relations between the two countries,” he said.
“Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh have been continuously trying to maintain good relations with Pakistan, but Pakistan continued terrorist attacks in India,” Anil Kumar added.
“India is a secular country. There are more Muslims in India than the total population of Pakistan. Moslems are happy to be in India. Many feel that they are safer than in Pakistan, which is being subjected to violence by the Taliban,” said Anil kumar, who is, an expert on Indo-Pak affairs.
India is continuing talks at different levels despite incidents like Mumbai terror attacks and Pakistan’s ongoing support to militancy in Kashmir.
It is surprising that broadcasters of Radio Pakistan expect political parties in India to sing praise of Jinnah, who was chiefly responsible for the division of the sub-continent on the basis of religious identities.
They accept Jinnah’s contribution during the freedom struggle against the British Raj, but are critical of his role in dividing the country. (ANI)