Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday said Pakistan will continue to sensitize the world about the unspeakable sufferings of the people in occupied Kashmir and the Indian atrocities in the valley.
Addressing a seminar on foreign policy in Islamabad, the foreign minister said Pakistan will not stay quiet on the dangerous situation prevailing in occupied Kashmir.
“The greater challenge for us today is how to stand up to Hindutava ideology and add greater momentum to our moral, political and diplomatic support for the just struggle of Kashmiris for their right to self-determination while preserving peace,” Qureshi said.
The foreign minister added, Pakistan has undertaken a diplomatic surge in the wake of India’s unilateral actions and security lockdown in the valley. “Pakistan has acted with responsibility but with firm resolve that their actions are unacceptable,” Qureshi noted.
Qureshi further said Pakistan was reviewing other existing bilateral arrangements with India.
Voicing serious concerns over the current situation in occupied Kashmir, the foreign minister said the Indian brutality is cascading into a humanitarian disaster. “Indian actions have created a highly dangerous environment that could erupt any moment and engulf the entire region,” he asserted.
Qureshi added the international community including saner elements within India are speaking against Modi’s illegal steps in occupied Kashmir. He warned that India may resort to a false flag operation or a misadventure across the line of control to divert world attention from its atrocities in occupied Kashmir.
The foreign minister noted that the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and aspirations of Kashmiri people was part of Pakistan’s foreign policy. “Resolution of this festering dispute is imperative for regional peace and stability,” he said.
Speaking about the Afghan peace process, Qureshi said there is hope of breakthrough in parleys between Afghan Taliban and the United States. Qureshi said Pakistan would continue to facilitate the Afghan peace process as part of shared responsibility.
About Pakistan-China relations, the foreign minister said their relationship is an anchor for regional stability. “CPEC holds the prospects of transforming Pakistan and the entire region. Our task is to promote the inherent merits of the corridor and the benefits it will accrue.”
“While hopes have dimmed for the people of occupied Kashmir, there is hope for the people of Afghanistan,” he said. The foreign minister also reiterated Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue, stating that Islamabad will continue to approach international forums regarding New Delhi’s illegal action of August 5.
FM Qureshi, said Pakistan was ready to defend itself if India chooses the path of aggression.
He expressed concern at the plight of civilians in the occupied valley as the lockdown approaches the one month mark. “Four weeks of no medicines, no healthcare, no access to basic facilities, no schools and no phone or internet links.
“Thousands have been arrested, young boys are being picked up, patients are being denied treatment and pellet guns are being used to stop protests,” said Qureshi.
Referring to India’s oppression in Kashmir, the foreign minister said: “The brutality is unheard of in modern times and is cascading into a humanitarian disaster”.
Qureshi elaborated that many international forums are already speaking about the situation, including the United Nations, the British Parliament, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, European Union and Human Rights Watch.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, through phone calls, apprised his Bangladeshi and Iranian counterparts on the latest situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir following New Delhi’s unilateral move to strip IOK of its autonomy. Qureshi thanked the Iranian government and its people for supporting the Kashmiri people in the occupied valley, where a lockdown has entered its 30th day. “
