No compromise on national interests including Kashmir: AJK President

MIRPUR (AJK): Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) President, Sardar Masood Khan has said “Pakistan wants peace and stability in its neighborhood but it will never compromise on its national interests including Kashmir”.

“Pakistan does not want perpetual warfare. We want peace and amity in our neighborhood but at the same time, we would not capitulate in regard to our national interests under any circumstances and one of those interests is Kashmir,” he stated.

He expressed these views while addressing the participants of the Certificate Award Ceremony of the 22nd National Security Workshop (NSW) at National Defence University (NDU) in the federal capital, AJK President office said Saturday night.

The President said we must make a vow to turn Pakistan into a great nation by demonstrating a strong resilience to our own people and to the international community as well.

He said that a politically, economically and militarily strong Pakistan would better be able to safeguard its national interests and advocate for Kashmir cause at the global level.

Referring to some of the presentations made in the national security workshop, President Masood said he was sure that the Pakistani nation is fully capable to make Pakistan one of the strongest nations in the world. He, however, pointed out that to make Pakistan a strong country we need to change the challenges being faced by the country into opportunities by developing it both economically and socially.

He said that we must be understood that human security comes from prosperous people and national security stems from human security. Saying that Pakistan is a strategically located big country; President said Pakistan should have friends all over the world by building alliances with other nations at the international level.

“Pakistan can be a powerful nation in its own right if our people participate in the economy and benefit from economic gains by taking full advantage of its location and building dynamism into its economy.

Earlier President Masood Khan in his opening remarks thanked the management of the National Defence University (NDU) for actively organizing security workshops to bring mainstream politicians, entrepreneurs, civil society activists and other segments of the society under one roof to give them a sense of national security, national cohesion and unity.

He said that NDU is the only institution in the country that is doing this exercise and deserve our thanks and appreciation for organizing workshops to discuss the country’s problems like poverty, education, border security, climate change and their impacts on national security.

The President also awarded certificates among the participants of the National Security Workshop.