UNITED Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Volkan Bozkir said on Thursday that it was Pakistan’s duty to bring the issue of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to the United Nations platform with more vigour.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad along with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi after their meeting, the UNGA President lamented what he said was a lack of large political will for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute compared to the Palestinian issue which had more will behind it.
The positive and realistic statement of the UNGA President is reflective of the growing realization that the world body and the international community were not doing enough to fulfil their responsibility towards Kashmiris who have been wronged by India for a long time.
In a way, it is also a rebuff to India, which is under the false illusion that it can hoodwink the international public opinion by changing the status of the disputed territory through illegal means.
India is blindly copying Israel that has illegally occupied Palestinian territories and is trying to change the demography of the area by establishing Jewish settlements but the world has so far not bought its version of the ground situation.
The categorical statement of UNGA President should serve as an eye opener for New Delhi as he has called on all parties to refrain from changing the status of Jammu and Kashmir adding that a solution was to be found through peaceful means in accordance with the UN Charter and UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions as agreed in the Simla Agreement between Pakistan and India.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also reminded India that the Kashmir issue is a reality and no one can deny it or remove it from the UNSC agenda.
It is quite clear that Pakistan and Kashmiris are on the right side but in this world of ‘might is right’ they will have to work hard to mobilize international support for a just resolution of the longstanding conflict.
As the solution of the issue is directly linked to durable peace and security of the region, it is hoped that Mr. Bozkir would facilitate practical moves that could help realize this objective and bring an end to the worst kind of human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir.
