Addressing a function at the National Defense University (NDU) in Islamabad, Pakistan Army chief Raheel Sharif described the Kashmir issue as “an unfinished agenda of partition” and claimed Kashmir and Pakistan are “inseparable” on Wednesday.
“While we wish peace, stability in region, we want Kashmir’s just resolution in the light of UN resolutions (and) as per aspirations of Kashmiris to bring lasting peace in region,” the army chief reportedly said adding to it that Kashmir (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) is an integral part of Pakistan and that Pakistan Army won’t allow any skirmishes in the region.
Responding to the statement, National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party Ram Madhav said, “Such statements will become major impediment in strengthening our bilateral relations.”
Columnist Ashok Malik also tweeted: From Pakistan’s point of view, ‘Raheel Sharif has proved to be a good, patriotic army chief. He’s made the country stronger in the past year.’ He further tweeted: ‘Test of Raheel Sharif is not in some silly statement on Kashmir. It’s in whether he’s successful in operations in Karachi and in checking TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan)’.
The Pakistan Army Chief’s reassertion of Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir comes a day after India objected to the conducting of polls in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).