Islamabad (NNP) — Khawaja Waheed Khawaja, head of the Pakistan Awami Quwat Party and former National Assembly candidate, has expressed hope that, with the grace of Allah, the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir will soon hear the glad tidings of freedom.
Speaking to office-bearers of the Traders’ Association and Action Committee in the historic town of Trar Khel, Rawalakot, Khawaja criticized the leadership in Azad Kashmir for squandering budgets on personal luxuries instead of investing in the nation. “If the ruling elite had spent on the people instead of their own indulgences, Azad Kashmir would today be a historic model of progress,” he said.
Highlighting the dire state of youth employment, Khawaja lamented that Kashmiri graduates were forced to wash dishes in Pakistani hotels due to the absence of industries, factories, and technical institutes. “There are no government-run technical institutions or job opportunities for our youth. I am an ordinary Kashmiri whose family has sacrificed three generations for Pakistan’s accession, yet it is heartbreaking that our own leaders have betrayed us while we battle external enemies,” he added.
He further accused Azad Kashmir’s ministers of focusing only on building family wealth and foreign assets. Urging the youth to demand their rights, Khawaja said, “I have been blessed by Allah with strength and resources. That is why I founded the Pakistan Awami Quwat Party — to deliver where others only make promises.”
Outlining his party’s five-point manifesto — health, education, technical training, economy, and the Kashmir issue — Khawaja asserted that his party is already implementing these priorities on an emergency basis. “I challenge all leaders to a table talk. If they can reject even one of my visions with evidence, I will quit politics,” he declared.
He noted that for the past three years, his party has been providing free healthcare through insurance and discount cards, sending youth abroad with technical skills to support their families and contribute foreign exchange, and running a unique medical college where students also learn international languages. Recently, the party signed an agreement with a military insurance company to provide free treatment — except for cancer — for Kashmiris across the region upon a small contribution.
Khawaja concluded by thanking the Traders’ Association and Action Committee of Trar Khel for their special invitation.
