ISLAMABAD - Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua on Thursday summoned the Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria to strongly protest against the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ press release related to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s telephone call to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference.
The Foreign Secretary stressed that Pakistan’s reach-out to the Hurriyat leadership was in line with its stated, publicly-declared, time-honoured policy of extending political, diplomatic and moral support to the legitimate Kashmiri struggle for the right to self-determination.
She emphasised that the disputed status of Kashmir was internationally accepted and pended resolution on the agenda of the UN Security Council to date due to Indian intransigence.
“Pakistan as a party to the Kashmir dispute is equally concerned about the deplorable state of human rights in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” she added.
The Foreign Secretary emphasised that the Indian reaction was only an indication of domestic politics being allowed to override India’s international obligations and violate international law for electioneering and that Pakistan should not be dragged into Indian elections for seeking votes.
India must shun its aggressive approach: Mirwaiz
APP adds: In Occupied Kashmir, the Chairman Hurriyat Forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, while asking India to shun its aggressive approach on Kashmir, has stressed that New Delhi can’t suppress the Kashmiris’ sentiments and aspirations by adopting iron-fisted policy in the territory.
Regarding his telephonic conversation with Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Mirwaiz said New Delhi should not be irked by this as Islamabad is a party to the Kashmir dispute.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Mirwaiz said that this policy of repression adopted by India was responsible for the deteriorating situation in the territory. He was addressing a delegates’ session after one of the constituents of the Hurriyat forum, Bilal Ghani Lone-led Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference, changed its name to Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Independent Movement (JKPIM) at the forum’s Rajbagh headquarters in Srinagar.
Mirwaiz said under Modi’s leadership worst-ever policy of repression has been unleashed under the garb of cordon and search operations wherein the Kashmiri youth are being killed mercilessly. New Delhi’s stubborn approach was the biggest hurdle in resolving the lingering Kashmir dispute, he added. He said New Delhi must understand that Kashmir is a human and political problem and that the issue needs to be resolved as per the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. “Now many retired generals of India are writing articles and making it clear in various television debates that there can be no military solution to the Kashmir dispute,” Mirwaiz said.