The rigged election and delayed elections in Pakistan has ultimately yielded a coalition government under Shahbaz Sharif. Clearly, the newly formed government with Shahbaz Sharif as Pak PM is against the will of the people and has been imposed on them by the autocratic Pakistan Army.
Nevertheless, after weeks of uncertainty Shahbaz Sharif took oath and made his first speech. Like every erstwhile Prime Minister, he towed the line pitched by the Pakistan Army and seemed pleasing his masters in uniform.
In his remarks he made a mention of Kashmir and asked his fellow parliamentarians to pass a resolution for the freedom of Kashmir along with Palestine. He said, “Let’s all come together…and the National Assembly should pass a resolution for the freedom of Kashmiris and Palestinians.”
In the later part of speech, he claimed that the expenditure of the same National Assembly is being met by the borrowed money. Interestingly, his latter statement shows lack of any desire for his former statement and that Kashmir’s mention in the address is just a political gimmick as, keeping aside Kashmir for some time, his country struggles even to address the most basic problem of scarcity of food.
His statement also shows that he lacks the most basic political acumen as he is talking to free an already free Jammu and Kashmir while the portion under his illegal control has been destroyed by his predecessors in past 75 years. Currently J&K and POJK have unimaginable differences when it comes to development, growth and upcoming future.
POJK: Conditions worse than a failed state
The statement on Kashmir by Pak PM does not resonate with the ground reality. While he is invoking Kashmir as something important for Pakistan, the inhabitants of POJK, are actually, themselves fed up with him and his illegitimate control. Under 75 years of colonial exploitation, POJK has become worse than any failed state.
With due consideration, it has been more than six months since people of POJK are protesting across the region, which Pakistan, obviously, is trying to hide from the world. Their demands centred around the right of wheat flour, electricity among others.
These protests are the result of resentment of the people as Pakistan exploits POJK resources to produce electricity and then sells it back to them on higher prices. So now angered people in POJK have boycotted paying electricity bills for months now. Their Charter of Demands has gone unnoticed and most expansive and unprecedented protests have ensued since then, involving women, children, men and elderly.
Despite knowing this, Pak PM has the audacity to call for Jammu and Kashmir’s freedom which has far better facilities for its population. Road and rail connectivity, world class infrastructure, robust economic push, thriving tourism and diverse start-ups are some of the important developmental aspects of Jammu and Kashmir today. Interestingly, J&K and POJK have same cliffs, riverine system with flowing estuaries, same geographical conditions, same environment, similar resources, still just because of an unjust border line the conditions are drastically different.
J&K: Integral part for India, means of exploitation for Pak
The difference is just because of the fact that India considers Jammu and Kashmir as its integral part and Pakistan considers POJK as an additional territory which is only to be exploited for its own means. While Pak PM’s statement is audacious, and senseless, it is also hilarious because to put forward any claim the most important thing that a politician must consider is the feasibility and moral obligation of his claim. While there is no feasibility of his statement, his moral obligation can only be to set free POJK from Pak’s illegal occupation so that it can have a bright future with India.
It becomes evident from the fact that just a couple of days ago, people in Pak occupied J&K’s Poonch were protesting calling out Pakistan to make it clear that whether they could fulfil their demands or not, failing which they warned to move to the markets of other side Poonch (J&K, India).
So, Pak PM has made non-sensical call on Kashmir when people of POJK are searching for every type of possibilities to get their rights back which includes indulging with the mainland J&K.
Therefore, Pakistan’s newly chosen PM, who is going to serve for his second term has shown with his statement that he has no idea of what is happening in Kashmir and has no vision for the development of POJK. He is only making political comments on Kashmir to please his masters and appease the people of Pakistan- who are habitual of getting pleased by delusional dreams- to legitimse his government which is formed out of rigged election with no popular support.