ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: The Foreign Office extended Eid greetings to Kashmiris and in a rare visit to the Line of Control by an army chief over the Eid holidays, Gen Raheel Sharif visited the troops deployed along the LoC on the second day of the festival.

The FO greetings came after the Kashmiris in the India-held valley opted to observe Eid with Pakistan instead of India, where Muslims celebrated the festive occasion a day after, thus reinforcing their cultural and religious ties with the people of Pakistan.

It was also one of those rare occasions when India and Pakistan celebrated Eid on different days.

FO’s greetings for Kashmiris for celebrating Eid with Pakistan

After Eid prayers, the Kashmiris staged protests in different parts of the valley against Indian occupation and waved Pakistani flags as an expression of dissent. Indian authorities, meanwhile, put top Hurriyet leaders, including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, under house arrest, something that has been their standard practice on Eids.

In his greetings message, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said he wished to extend to “Kashmiri brothers and sisters and their leadership heartiest felicitations”.

Mr Aziz used the message to express his concern over the human rights situation in India-held Kashmir. “We are deeply concerned over detention of Kashmiri leaders on this sacred day, in violation of their fundamental right of religious freedom. We call upon the international community to take note and urge the Indian government to respect the basic rights of Kashmiris in IoK (India-occupied Kashmir),” he added.

Mr Aziz had in an interview with Radio Pakistan last week said India was avoiding dialogue with Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

The FO statement immediately followed one about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s telephonic call to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for conveying his Eid greetings. Mr Modi had called a number of Muslim leaders both in the neighbourhood and the Gulf region.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to convey Eid greetings. He also inquired about the health of the prime minister and wished him a complete and speedy recovery. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif thanked the Indian prime minister for his kind sentiments,” said a brief statement on the conversation.

An insider claimed that the decision about issuing a formal statement on greetings for the Kashmiris had been taken by the military leadership.

Army Chief Gen Raheel, who spent the first day of Eid with troops in North and South Waziristan, visited his men at the LoC on the second day.

“General Raheel Sharif visited troops deployed on frontlines along the Line of Control in Kel and Bagh sectors. The COAS greeted them Eid and spent time with them,” said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations.

Speaking to the troops, Gen Sharif said: “High state of morale of troops, operational preparedness and vigil being maintained along the LoC is highly commendable.”

He paid tribute to “the supreme sacrifices of officers and men of Pakistan Army and appreciated their spirit of valour, sacrifice and extreme commitment for defence of the motherland”.

A keen military observer said he could not recall an army chief visiting the LoC on Eid.

Meanwhile, during his visit to North and South Waziristan to celebrate Eid with troops in forward areas, Army Chief Gen Raheel directed military commanders, intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies to take concrete measures and not allow anyone to use Pakistan’s soil against Afghanistan.

He said the operation against terrorists of all hue and colour would continue, but added that following the consolidation and optimisation of resulting operational dividends of Zarb-i-Azb in the Pak-Afghan border region, Pakistan would not allow anyone to use its soil against Afghanistan.

“While we are committed to facilitating the reconciliation process with sincerity, commitment and resolve, we expect non-use of Afghanistan territory against Pakistan,” the ISPR quoted the army chief as saying.

Gen Raheel said peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border remained a priority and Pakistan had committed all efforts towards that direction. He said border management and dignified repatriation of Afghan refugees were important enablers for lasting peace. “Our efforts for peace in Afghanistan have been acknowledged.”

The army chief offered Eid prayers in Shawwal and interacted with troops. He later visited Dattakhel where he met troops.

Greeting them a happy Eid, Gen Raheel commended their morale and spirit of fighting on the frontline to protect the motherland.

He was briefed by corps and formation commanders on the ongoing sanitisation and stabilisation operation as part of Zarb-i- Azb as well as the post-operation security environment.

The army chief said the nation and valiant soldiers of the Pakistan Army had paid a huge price for eliminating terrorists and restoring peace in the country. “We will not let these sacrifices go waste. With Fata cleared and terrorists being chased across the country, we are determined not to allow them to return and reverse our gains,” he said.

Upon his arrival on the frontlines, Gen Raheel was received by Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Hidayatur Rehman.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2016