Islamabad
Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal on Thursday dismissed media reports that claimed that the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministers, on their recent trip to Pakistan, had told the government that Kashmir was “not a Muslim ummah related issue” and insisted that both officials had “expressed solidarity with Pakistan and support for the Kashmir cause”.
Dr Faisal made the remarks in response to a question at the weekly media briefing at the Foreign Office. He termed media reports regarding alleged statements by the ministers of UAE and Saudi Arabia as “speculation”.
The UAE foreign minister and Saudi state minister for foreign affairs had visited Pakistan last week and held meetings with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. The ongoing tensions in occupied Kashmir — following New Delhi’s decision to revoke the region’s special status — was one of the major issues discussed in all meetings.
The Foreign Office spokesperson said that the lockdown in occupied Kashmir imposed by the Indian government had entered its 40th day and reiterated Pakistan’s position that the matter should be resolved according to the resolutions passed by the United Nations.
He said that three Kashmiris embraced martyrdom as Indian troops used pellet guns, teargas and canes to disperse demonstrators in besieged valley of Kashmir.
Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson expressed serious concerns over human rights’ violations and urged the Indian government to lift the curfew, respect International Law and permit international human rights organisations to visit the Himalayan region.
When asked about United States President Donald Trump’s recent reiteration of the offer to mediate between Islamabad and New Delhi, Dr Faisal said that India was “not ready”.
“We have always been ready for bilateral dialogue as well [as mediation] and we made many attempts [to hold talks].
“We have always maintained that every issue can be solved through dialogue. Now let’s see what happens.”
He further said: “Jammu and Kashmir’s struggle is a […] process. It is not an event. This process is ongoing and is moving forward.
“on Friday, the prime minister is going to Azad Kashmir and has a policy statement for the people there. There are many [other] steps under consideration and we will inform you as they unfold. Right now, nothing is final.”—INP
