MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore on Saturday reminded India that it had always faced humiliating defeat s whenever it resorte d to aggression along the Line of Control (LOC), warning that it would meet the same fate at the hands of Pakistan`s armed forces, fully backed by the local population.

`It is by the grace of Allah that we breathe in free air. Pakistan`s armed forces are protecting us by rendering countless sacrifices and the people along the ceaseñre line (LoC) have consistently stood behind the army, he told mediapersons in Chilyana on the first day of his maiden two-day tour to Neelum Valley after assuming office.

Chilyana overlooks the famous town of Titwal in Indian-occupied Kashmir on the left bank of the Neelum River, which serves as the divide between the two sides along much of the nearly 200-1(i10metre-long valley.

`The people living along the LoC are neither afraid of Indian aggression norwill they ever hesitate to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistan Army, the AJK premier said.

``India will continue to face crushing defeats at the hands of our valiant armed forces and equally resolute population, he added.

Paying tribute to the people of occupied Kashmir for their unyielding struggle in the face of severe military suppression, he said India was `deeply mistaken` if it believed it could police people`s thoughts.

`India has turned occupied Kashmir into a military garrison and its display of fake normalcy is a deceptive façade,` he remarked, adding that the Kashmiris` struggle would not go in vain.

Reaffirming his party`s position that Kashmiris must be allowed to decide their future through the right to selfdetermination, Mr Rathore said the PPP would continue to highlight the Kashmir cause at international forums.

During the tour which stretched from the state capital Muzaffarabad to the valley`s headquarters, Athmuqam PPP workers and residents lined the roadside in every union council, showering rose petals on the prime minister`s convoy and chanting party slogans.Traditional dances were performed at several locations, including Patikka, Jura Bandi and Kundal Shahi.

Addressing reception gatherings in several areas, the prime minister pledged accelerated steps to address long-standing local issues.

`Our government has restored people`s trust by bridging the gap between the state and its citizens. The doors of the PM House and PM Of fice will remain open to the public, and both the cabinet and the civil administration will remain available among the people,` he said in Kundal Shahi.

`The government is working to put administrative matters on a fast track and will soon announce a health and education package,` he added.

Mr Rathore noted that the present government had only seven to eight months at its disposal before the next general election but expressed confidence that the PPP would retain power in 2026.

`The PPP will continue its mission of public service and we will not allow our bond with the people to weaken,` he said.

`We have to work more in less time and, God willing, we will win the nextelection as well.

Ordering the installation of streetlights in Kundal Shahi, he vowed that the valley`s issues would be resolved on a priority basis with the support of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the federal government.

The prime minister was accompanied on the tour by Senior Minister Mian Abdul Waheed, Forest Minister Sardar Javed Ayoub and Health Minister Syed Bazil Naqvi.

Speaking earlier at the same venue, the senior minister who represents the lower belt of Neelum Valley in the AJK legislature said the PPP government had been entrusted with responsibility rather than privilege.

He said the upcoming education package included a girls` high school and a boys` middle school for Kundal Shahi, and announced notifications for the 5-kmKundalShahi-Kuttanroad,Kuttan waterfall and the Kuttan RCC bridge.

The senior minister added that the high school in Jagran had been upgraded to a higher secondary level.

`It is our fundamental responsibility to provide facilitiesin education,health and infrastructure, and we will fulfil it, he said.