JEDDAH, 9 September — The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) organized a function here on Sept. 6 to mark the Defense Day of Pakistan.
The PRC adopted a number of resolutions calling for an early repatriation of stranded Pakistanis languishing in Bangladesh camps and urged the Indian government to hold plebiscite in Kashmir rather than elections.
Elections, the resolution said, could not be a substitute for a UN-sponsored plebiscite.
The resolution also called on the Pakistan government to consider the PRC proposal regarding the repatriation and rehabilitation of the stranded people on self-finance basis.
Akhtar Hussain Mayo, who was the chief guest, stressed the need for adhering to the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah as Islam provided solution to all problems.
Azeez Ahmed, secretary-general of Pakistan Engineers’ Society read out a paper highlighting the struggle of the Muslims for the creation of Pakistan.
He said Islamabad should take steps to resolve the issues of Kashmir and stranded Pakistanis.
Ehsanul Haque, the convener of the PRC, said the 1965 war proved Pakistan can fight any aggression by the enemy and Pakistanis are capable of defending their country and its ideology.
He appreciated President Pervez Musharraf’s stand on Kashmir and some of the reforms he has initiated.
He hoped that the president’s meeting with the representatives of stranded Pakistanis in Dhaka last month will lead to the resolution of the long-standing issue.
Another speaker Sardar Rahmat Khan spoke about the Kashmir issue and the atrocities perpetrated on Kashmiris by Indian troops.
Abu Farhan Siddiqui, general secretary of the Muslim Welfare Organization, presented a report about the activities of his organization which is working in Bangladesh for the betterment of stranded Pakistanis.
MWO provides subsistence allowance to some 400 destitute families and runs schools and clinics. Abdul Qayyum Waseq and Habib Siddiqui recited their poems on this occasion.