Parliament's joint session denounces atrocities in Kashmir

Photo: AFP A joint session of the parliament denounced the atrocities and human rights violations in Indian-Administered Kashmir for a second day on Wednesday.  The session was called to discuss India repealing articles 35A and 370 of its Constitution, revoking the special status granted to Kashmir. The Indian government has decided to bifurcate the state into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The former will have a legislature while the latter won’t. Former president Asif Ali Zardari remarked that India revoking Kashmir's special status is as big an incident as the separation of Dhaka. "The only silver lining is that Muslims in Kashmir finally understand that the two-nation theory is quite valid." The concept of a secular India has been buried, he said. The PTI government keeps asking what they should do to counter India's move, he said. "I just want to tell them if I were still the president, then I would've first taken a flight to Abu Dhabi, then China, then Russia and even would've made a stop at Iran." I would seek their support to help our Kashmiri brothers, he said. Related: Pakistan’s fight is with India’s racist ideology: Imran Khan Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the government will not let Kashmir become another Palestine. "Pakistan does not want a war, but we don't want our people to feel that the nation will not protect its people if we ever reach such a situation," he remarked. If there is another war between India and Pakistan, it will impact the entire world. "We have already fought three wars and we are prepared for both war and peace." He urged the international community to play its role in this regard. It is possible that this incident may lead to a clash on the border between the two neighbouring countries, said former defence minister Khawaja Asif. "We have learned nothing from our history," he said. "This is a sensitive situation. Kashmir has been isolated by the Islamic world." He remarked that this is the time to unite. "We need to strengthen our nation," he added. Follow SAMAA English on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.