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Stop Talibanisation of Azad Kashmir, demands Shaukat Ali KashmiriUKPNP leader asks Kashmiris of all belongings to unite against Taliban , al-Qaeda getting

foothold in their areas; asks Pakistan government to take notice of some elements

encouraging Talibanisation of Azad Kashmir

LONDON (PRESS RELEASE): The leader and founder of United Kashmir Peoples NationalParty (UKPNP) has demanded of the government of Pakistan to stop funding pro-Talibanand al-Qaeda elements in what is known as Pakistani administered or Azad Kashmir.

Speaking at a reception thrown in his honour by the London branch of the UKPNP, SardarShaukat Ali Kashmiri revealed the extent to which Taliban elements have strengthenedtheir hold and position in Azad Kashmir.

A recent suicide blast in the capital, which killed army soldiers and innocent people,

showed that Taliban had started starting their heinous activities openly and without anyfear and this cannot be an isolated incident, Sahukat Kashmiri stated.

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There is a history of nurturing and funding terror organization on sectarian, religious andterritorial lines in Pakistan and pakistani Administered Kashmir has not been anexception. Since 80s the security establishment and intelligence agencies funded theextreme right-wing forces to engage India in Indian administered Kashmir and they havebeen entrenched in public with the help of billions flowing in aid from the Pakistani

establishment and in the shape of Madrassas funded by Saudi extremist clerics to

strengthen the Wahabi and salafisim, Shaukat Kashmiri said, informing the over 200strong diaspora audience, writersn, members of various political disciplines, intellectuals,workers who had traveled from different parts of Great Britain to hear the UKPNP leader.

Shaukat Kashmiri, who is credited with openly opposing the policy of funding terrorgroups to gain strategic gains in the region and he was the only leader in teh region whostrongly rejected and opposed the policy of using religion as weapon against secular anddemocratic forces in the entire region and beyond since 80s, said that when he startedtalking about such dangers almost two decades ago, he was branded an enemy and on

the pay of foreign forces.Today the fissures have erupted. The genie is out from the bottle and there is no wayyou can put it back . Taliban are openly dictating their agenda to people and they have

the full support of security establishment and right wing political parties to advance theiraims.

In my own hometown of Rawalakoat, picturesque resort, Taliban sympathizers are tellinggirls to wear Niqab and Hijab and stopping them from going to schools and for shoppingon their own. Recently Lashkar-e-Tayyaba has been allotted hundreds of kilometers landand one wonders where has the money come from.There is wide spread resentmentfound in teh local people around as well as nationalist political parties who are peacefully

striving for teh fundamantal human rights of teh people of this unfortunate region.Shaukat Kashmiri said while Pakistan was fighting the forces of Taliban in areas of NWFP( North Western Frontier of pakistan), under immense international pressure and thereare indications that it had woken up to the real threat of these extremists, it was

neglecting and indeed encouraging the Talibanisaton of so called Azad Kashmir whichcan prove to be disastrous in the near future. He appealed to the elected government

and chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of this brutal practice and expose those hiddenhands who were trying to promote Taliban in pakistani Administered Kashmir, far away

from the worlds eyes.

He said the democratic government must go all the way in eliminating the Talibanextremism and must dismantle terrorists infrastructure . He said it was not exaggerationthat fight against Talibanism and preserving democracy was Pakistans last stand. Therewill no Pakistan left if either this set up fails or if there is no stopping of Taliban fundingby the callous mafia elements in the establishment, otherwise what is remainder of theoriginal Pakistan will disintegrate too and it will be very dangerous for the whole world as

well as south Asian region, he said.He called for the recognition of different Pakistani ethnic nationalities and said that unlessthe rights and prestige of different nationalitiess is not recognized, there will be nosolution to the current unrest and state of uncertainty with in pakistan. History showsthat those nationalities whose rights were suppressed hit back with vengeance to uphold

their unique character and identity.He emphasized the governments of India and Pakistan to respect the wishes of Kashmiripeople and do not attempt to suppress them through means which have been tried in thepast but failed to extinguish the desire and will for the establishment of a united, secular,

multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic and democratic independent Kashmir whichcan play the role of a bridge in the region simmering with tensions and that could lead to

a prosperous region.He told the youth that United Kashmir Peoples National Party was unique because it wasbringing people together from different backgrounds on the basis of a progressive and

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democratic ideology. He appealed to the diaspora communities to utilize their resourcesand influence to educate people in their backward areas of origin about the benefits ofdemocracy and civil society and not resort to only welcoming the corrupt politicians from

so called Azad Kashmir and Pakistan who frequently visiting London.Raja Kahlid, General Secretary of the UKPNP, said the appeal of UKPNP was growing

among the masses and people were beginning to realize that only the UKPNP has aserious agenda of making Kashmir a prosperous state. He asked people to join theUKPNP for an alternative agenda of progress and social, political, economical and cultural

emancipation.

Syed Mujtaba Ali Shah, Information Secretary of the UKPNP, vowed that the Party will

continue to resist the Taliban and al-Qaeda elements. He said the agenda of certainelements was to divide Kashmiris on sectarian and religious lines but appealed to

Kashmiris to stay united and defeat such exterbnal forces who are their to accomplishtheir expansionist designs.

Sardar Akhtar Kashmiri said the situation in Swat had shown that wrong-headed policiesalways end up in failure and do not bring any benefits to anyone. He announced that theUKPNP will hold its national convention in London in November and delegates from all

over the world will be attending the historic convention which will lay out a revolutionaryroad map for the future of former princvey State of Jammu & Kashmir.

Dr Shabir Chadhry and Sardar Afzal Tahir spoke about the under-development in socalled Azad Kashmir and Pakistani governments lack of care towards the suffering ofpoor people who were living a life below poverty line. They said the massive security

presence in the area was curbing the development of a free society and it had created astate of fear and terror in teh region.

Among teh key noted speakers where Jamail Latif, Sardar Amjad Yousuf, Tauqeer HussainMeer, Ibrar Abbassi Also addressed the audiance.