Pakistan has been crying for Kashmir ever since independence: NPP

The National Panthers Party (NPP) on Saturday said there was nothing new in Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's assertion that he is 'waiting for the day' when Kashmir becomes its part, as Islamabad has been pining for the region ever since independence.

"There is no surprise to me. Ever since Pakistan was born on August 14, 1947, it has been crying that Kashmir should join...People of Jammu and Kashmir are wedded to India, we are wedded to secular India," NPP leader Bhim Singh told ANI.

"People of Jammu and Kashmir will fight for progress, development and democracy. People of Jammu and Kashmir can never forgo democracy as is the case in Pakistan," he added.

The NPP leader further said that Prime Minister of Pakistan should remember that one day he might decide that India is better in democracy.

"He knows that part, but he cannot speak that," he said.

Addressing a public gathering in Muzaffarabad on Thursday, Sharif said, "We are waiting for the day Kashmir becomes (part of) Pakistan."

In his first public address post his return from London after undergoing an open-heart surgery in May, Sharif, according to the Dawn, urged Kashmiris not to forget the sacrifice of those people, who had given up their lives in the cause of freedom and right to self-determination.

Thanking the people for their support in the wake of the PML-N achieving a majority win in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Sharif lashed out at those engaging in "negative politics" against his party.