Islamabad, July 9 (IANS)
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed has warned
Islamabad against any attempt to convert Gilgit-Baltistan into a federal
province.
"Gilgit-Baltistan is part and
parcel of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Any attempt to merge it into Pakistan
will deal a fatal blow to our stand in the light of UN resolutions envisaging
right to self-determination for the Kashmiris," Dawn quoted Majeed as
saying in at a press conference in Muzffarabad.
Earlier, some Kashmiri leaders have
expressed concern over alleged moves to convert Gilgit-Baltistan into the fifth
province of Pakistan.
On Tuesday, PoK President Sardar
Mohammad Yaqoob Khan warned that such a step would be more damaging than the
dismemberment of the country in 1971.
"I call upon the prime minister
of Pakistan to avoid (taking) any decision that does not fall in his
jurisdiction. He cannot take this decision unless we, the people of Jammu and
Kashmir, take it," Majeed said.
Recalling that Gilgit-Baltistan had
been given in the administrative control of Pakistan on a temporary basis, he
advised Islamabad not to think beyond that.
"On behalf of over 17.5 million
Kashmiris, I warn you (Islamabad) to change your thoughts. Or else, there will
be severe reaction," he said.
Answering a question, he said it was
the responsibility of the PoK parliamentary committee to seek the consent of
the prime minister of Pakistan and the minister for Kashmir affairs in order to
carry out constitutional amendments "smoothly and amicably".
Majeed said the role and
responsibilities of the government of Pakistan under the United Nations
Commission for India and Pakistan (Uncip) resolutions should not be negated.
"With this in mind, there is no harm in talking to them," he said
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