HYDERABAD, Jan 8: A leading Jamat-i-Islami leader of Azad Kashmir and former member of the Azad Kashmir assembly, Abdul Rasheed Turabi, has warned that if the Pakistani rulers deviated from the fundamental objective of independence of Kashmir, not only the people of Kashmir, but the interests of Pakistan would also be jeopardised.

He accused President General Pervez Musharraf of harming the independence movement of Kashmir by deviating from this fundamental objective.

He was speaking at a news conference at the press club on Monday. Flanked by local Jamat-i-Islami leaders, Abdul Waheed Qureshi, Shaikh Shoukat Ali and Dr.Fawad Ahmed, he said Kashmir had again become a flash point due to the sacrifices and struggle of the Kashmiri people and the efforts of the Pakistani media. This is the reason that India opted to hold talks with Pakistan, he added.

He said Kashmir from ideological point of view, was predominantly Muslim and, therefore, naturally it would like to remain with Pakistan. He said it was also strategically located as it was the fountainhead of rivers. He cautioned that if Kashmir was given to India, Punjab and Sindh would be rendered barren as India would be free to temper with the river waters. In this context, he quoted examples of Baghlihar dam and Wullar Barrage.

Mr.Turrabi said that against heavy odds, the successive governments of Pakistan had supported the right of self-determination of Kashmiri people as enjoined in the UN resolutions. He, however, said that General Pervez Musharraf had not only deviated from this fundamental issue but also created differences in the Hurriyat Movement.

Answering a question, he said that the people of Kashmir were not tired of waging a Jihad and it were Pakistani rulers who had tired of Jihad, he added. He said tens of thousands of people attended Namaz-e-Janaza if one Mujahid was killed, but on the other hand, the junior officers of Indian army were killing their seniors out of sheer frustration.

He said this was the reason that 700,000 army personnel of Indian army had failed to crush the spirit of the Kashmiri people. He made it clear that the UNO at the time of ceasefire had not restricted the movement of the Kashmiri people on either side of borders which, at present, was banned.

Answering another question, he said, the relief work in Kashmir after the earthquake is yet to be completed. He said, the Pakistani rulers had not ensured judicious distribution of relief goods. He said, the whole world had extended a helping hand in the aftermath of earthquake but Pakistani rulers had even failed to perform the role of a postman.

SU: The director of admissions of the University of Sindh on Monday advised the university’s regular students to fill in application forms and deposit fees for admission to next higher classes in all the institutes and departments for academic session of 2007.