Islamabad, July 21: The outgoing prime minister of Pakistan Administered Kashmir and Muslim Conference president, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has voiced serious concern over the detention of Washington based Kashmiri American Council chief, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai by FBI.
 Terming the arrest as an effort to damage Kashmiris’ peaceful struggle for right to self-determination, Sardar Attique said in a statement, “Dr. Fai, a veteran Kashmiri scholar with a sober personality has been an effective envoy to represent the US interests.” “The arrest of the KAC executive director at this very crucial juncture when India and Pakistan are going to talk on Kashmir issue is highly condemnable”, he said adding the act would seriously dent the Kashmiris’ decades’ long political movement for the attainment of inalienable right guaranteed to them by the world community.
 Highlighting the intensity of the issue, the PaK premier said, that political leadership across the divide would be approached in this regard to evolve joint strategy to tackle this issue.
 Khan has also discussed the issue of Fai’s arrest with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Geelani and other leaders.
 Khan also had a meeting with Moulana Fazl Rehman, the chairman of Parliamentary Kashmir committee wherein both the leaders discussed the situation emerged after the arrest of Dr. Fai. Both the leaders also had a detailed talk on the prevailing political situation in Kashmir in the context of indo-Pak dialogue process.
 Meanwhile, Jama’at chief, Abdul Rasheed Turabi while denouncing the arrest of Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai said there was a deep rooted conspiracy that led to the arrest of Kashmiri leader in the United States. Terming Dr. Fai as an ambassador of Kashmiri nation he said, his (Fai’s) detention had seriously dented the efforts to seek peaceful solution of Kashmir dispute.
 Endorsing APHC chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s call for a strike on July 23, Turabi said people of Kashmir on this side of line of control would observe complete shutdown on the day to send a message to the world community that “Dr. Fai is an ambassador of peace and an ardent voice of Kashmiris who has been promoting and projecting Kashmir cause at international level”.
 Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, the convener of APHC-M Pak chapter and Ghulam Muhammad Safi the convener of APHC-G have also expressed concern over the arrest of Dr Fai.
 He maintained that the arrest was an attempt to thwart the ongoing efforts at the international level to seek amicable solution of the long-running Kashmir dispute.
 Highlighting the indomitable role of veteran Kashmiri leader he said his peerless contribution in projecting Kashmir cause at international level was highly commendable.
 Expressing shock over what they called an unfortunate development both the leaders urged the international community to play its pivotal role to ensure immediate release of Dr Fai. They maintained that KAC chief was a man of integrity and honesty who worked for amicable solution of Kashmir dispute relentlessly for more than 30 years at diplomatic front.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 IST