TIMES REPORT
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON Engineer Amir Muqam has extended heartfelt congratulations to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan on the occasion of their 79th Independence Day, describing November 1 as a landmark day in the region’s history.
In his special message ahead of the Independence Day, the federal minister said it was a unique distinction for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan to celebrate their freedom twice a year — on August 14, Pakistan’s Independence Day, and November 1, marking the region’s liberation and its accession to Pakistan.
He said the occasion was also an opportunity to remember the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine, who continue to struggle for their fundamental rights. The people of occupied Kashmir, he added, have been fighting for their right to self-determination for nearly eight decades.
Engineer Amir Muqam paid tribute to the armed forces of Pakistan for safeguarding the country’s borders and sovereignty. He said the federal government attached the highest priority to the development and prosperity of Gilgit-Baltistan, which holds strategic importance in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The minister emphasised that the youth were the future of the region and said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), during its previous tenures, had undertaken extensive development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan.
He reaffirmed that the incumbent federal government would continue working closely with the Gilgit-Baltistan government to accelerate development and improve the region’s socio-economic conditions.
Highlighting the region’s immense tourism potential, Muqam said Gilgit-Baltistan enjoyed a prominent place on the world’s tourism map. The federal government, he added, would take measures on a priority basis to promote tourism and unlock the region’s economic potential.
He expressed confidence that collective efforts and national unity would help steer Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan towards greater progress and prosperity.
Paying tribute to the armed forces, the federal minister said the nation saluted its defenders for thwarting hostile designs and countering attempts to destabilise the country.
He said whenever the enemy sought to carry out aggression along Pakistan’s borders, the country’s brave armed forces had responded decisively, inflicting humiliating defeats and foiling its nefarious designs.
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