Staff Reporter
Lahore
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Tuesday said that Kashmiris’ struggle against Indian occupation has entered a new phase as Pakistan government aroused world conscience on decades-old litany of Indian oppression. Addressing All Parties Conference on Kashmir under the auspices of PTI Punjab, he said the United Nations’ (UN) Security Council took up the issue in its special session.
He said the UN Secretary General had said that the Kashmir issue was to be resolved as per UN Security Council Resolutions, adding it was a great success of PTI government on the diplomatic front. He said India’s unilateral action of revoking special autonomy of occupied Kashmir has given a ‘turning point’ in the just struggle of people of Kashmir for their right to self-determination. He said August 5, 2019 was a critical moment in the history of Kashmir when India illegally annexed the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Foreign Minister urged the participants of the conference to formulate future road-map for highlighting Kashmir issue and paving the way for its freedom. Qureshi said realizing importance of the situation, Prime Minister Imran Khan summoned joint session of the Parliament to discuss Kashmir issue in order to develop consensus among all political parties, despite political differences. It was unanimously decided to internationalize the issue, he added.
Qureshi said India did its utmost to link Kashmiris struggle with terrorism, adding it even tried to block UN Security Council’s session but failed. ‘India is divided on Kashmir as voices have been raised within India for the rights of the downtrodden Kashmiri people’, he stated. He urged the Indian Supreme Court to allow access to foreign media to Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), saying that apex court’s verdict to allow Indian Opposition Leader access to IOK was monumental and negation of the Modi’s hegemonistic designs.
The Foreign Minister, in his presidential address, said Kashmir issue got a new life when Pakistan raised it at the UN, pointing out it was after 54 years that the issue was discussed at the UN Security Council. He said it was due to efforts of the government that Independence Day of Pakistan was observed as Kashmir Solidarity Day while the 15th August (Indian Republic Day) was observed as Black Day across the globe. He lauded the world powers for showing flexibility and allowing the Kashmir issue to be discussed at the Security Council.
