ISLAMABAD - PML-N Chairman Senator Raja Zafarul Haq while dismissing Indian narrative about occupied Kashmir as its integral part Tuesday said it is Pakistan's jugular vein and sought its resolution as per the UN resolution in the interest of peace in the region.
"Kashmir dispute is still alive on the United Nations agenda and Pakistan wants to resolve it through peaceful means," Raja Zafarul Haq told a press conference here on Tuesday.
He said Islamabad does not at all agree with New Delhi's stance that Kashmir is integral part of India and added that New Delhi needed to resolve the Kashmir issue according to the UN resolutions as it is a core issue and can be settled through resolutions of the international body.
Indian foreign minister, he said, had consistently given statements in response to the speech made by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at the United Nations General Assembly. He said Nawaz Sharif appealed to the world community to help Kashmiris in getting their right to self-determination.
"Pakistan is desirous of peace in the region," he said, adding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif adopted a categorical stand on Kashmir issue.
The PML-N chairman said that Pakistan would continue to raise the Kashmir issue at the forums available at the United Nations.
He said there are 23 agreements between Pakistan and India on the issue of Kashmir and India had agreed to them that it would not take any step, which was against the United Nations resolutions. Any agreement and the UN resolutions passed before Simla accord couldn't be revoked and these remained valid until today as their status was still the same.
He said it is not possible that Pakistan and India could decide on their own to ignore the UN resolutions, which grant Kashmiris the right to self-determination.
"India had assured that it would not go against the decisions of the UN Security Council on Kashmir issue," he said, adding Pakistan respects the decisions of UN Security Council and UN charter.
Raja Zafarul Haq said both the countries agreed in Simla accord to resolve matters through dialogue while Kashmir issue was also mentioned in the Lahore Declaration in which both countries had agreed to resolve all issues peacefully including Kashmir. He said even within India voices were being raised, calling for the resolution of Kashmir dispute.
He said despite the presence of 700,000 Indian troops in Occupied Kashmir, Kashmiris had not bowed down before any repression and were firm in their struggle for liberation.