Nawaz Sharif calls for withdrawal of troops from Siachen
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 5:44:21 by Wajahat Javed
Nawaz Sharif calls for withdrawal of troops from Siachen
Tuesday, April 17, 2012: Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and the chairman of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz group (PML-N) has advised the government to take the lead and withdraw its troops from Siachen Glacier where
138 troops and civilians were buried by a massive avalanche over a week ago.
Speaking to media personals after surveying the Giari sector, where a massive rescue operation is under way to find the missing persons, Nawaz said, “Let’s not make it a matter of ego. Pakistan should take the initiative.”
Senior leaders of his Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) – including Senator Mushahidullah, Marvi Memon, Mehtab Abbasi and Pervez Rasheed – accompanied Sharif.
Sharif advised both Pakistan and India to climb down from the icy battlefield, resolve the festering dispute and then spend the billions of rupees they would save on the welfare of their impoverished people.
He recalled that, during his stint as prime minister, he had launched a dialogue with then-Indian premier Atal Behari Vajpayee to resolve the Siachen issue. He called upon the incumbent governments in both countries to follow up
on that in the “larger interest of humanity”.
In Skardu, the PML-N chief also spent time with the families of soldiers trapped under the snow and enquired about their issues.
He paid tribute to soldiers for defending the country’s frontiers. He also gave away cheques for Rs 500,000 to each aggrieved family.
He announced that the Punjab government will provide a job to each affected family and finance the education of their children.
On April 7, a giant wall of snow crashed down in the Giari sector, swamping the battalion headquarters of 6 Northern Light Infantry, where 124 soldiers and 14 civilians were stationed. Nine days on, rescuers have yet to pull out
a single person, dead or alive.
PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif also spoke about targeted attacks on the Shia community in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan and denounced the PPP-led government for its failure to stem the tide of sectarian violence in the country’s troubled
spots.
Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=19287
Posted by Wajahat Javed
on Apr 18 2012. Filed under Pakistan.
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