A rejoinder to Voicepk.net story titled “The Taliban Are Our Assets; They Are Being Prepared For Jihad In Kashmir’: Senior Minister GB”
Gilgit-Baltistan Senior Minister Colonel Ubaidullah Baig stated that his statement regarding the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Mujahideen in Kashmir was quoted out of context in the article posted on October 12, 2022.
The article had quoted the senior minister’s conversation in a television show referring to the TTP as “assets of the country”, and that “despite the potential damage to Pakistan, they were being prepared for jihad in Kashmir.”
The senior minister had reportedly said, “Taliban hamare assasse hain aur humain Kashmir mein jihad key liye inn ko tayyar karna hai. Toh iss mein humain thora nuqsan uthane pare bhi toh koi masla nahin.” (The Taliban are our assets and we need to prepare them to wage jihad in Kashmir, so even if we have to bear the damages, we must do so in the larger interest.)
However, now, clarifying his past remarks, the senior minister said, “Gilgit Baltistan has enormous untapped potential in the tourism industry and it cannot flourish without securing all tourist destinations. It is surprising that despite having thousands of police, military, paramilitary, and other security personnel deployed along with the Babusar and Karakorum Highway such incidents are happening,” he added. Regarding his statement on the TTP and the Kashmir Mujahideen was taken out of context in the article published on October 12, 2022 and that this was ‘not what he meant’.
However as per the recorded statements Voicepk.net editorial staff stands by its story posted on October 12, 2022.
