ISLAMABAD: Socio-political activist and former adviser to the State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Zubair Ahmed Jaral, has called for an end to any discrimination against Kashmiris living in Pakistan, saying equal principles should be adopted for all citizens in matters of political representation.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on the electoral rights of Kashmiris residing in Pakistan and the issue of 12 refugee seats in the Azad Kashmir Assembly, Jaral said millions of Kashmiris living in Pakistan were descendants of those affected by the partition of India and had rendered countless sacrifices.
He said it would be unjust to deprive them of their Kashmiri identity and political representation. Jaral maintained that if the right to vote or representation of Kashmiris living in Pakistan was taken away, then the electoral rights of Kashmiris holding dual citizenship abroad should also be reviewed so that one standard was applied to all.
The former adviser also raised objections to the voter lists prepared by the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission. He claimed that the number of Kashmiris living in Pakistan was much higher than the official figures and said a comprehensive verification process was needed in this regard.
Jaral also criticised the current leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party, saying the party should adhere to the ideas of its founding chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the sacrifices of its workers and its historical stance on the Kashmir issue. He said ideological activists were being ignored, creating unrest among party workers.
During the press conference, he appealed to Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to issue instructions to the relevant institutions for a transparent review of the current protest, its alleged funding and all related matters.
Jaral suggested that if reforms in the existing system of refugee seats were unavoidable, the representation of Kashmiris living in Pakistan should not be abolished altogether. Instead, he said, a balanced system should be devised to protect their identity and political representation while allowing necessary reforms in the electoral process.
Concluding his remarks, he said it was the responsibility of the state to safeguard the constitutional, legal and democratic rights of Kashmiris living in Pakistan. He urged all relevant institutions to take decisions on the matter in accordance with the principles of justice and equality.
