ISLAMABAD - Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi yesterday said Pakistan stands with the Kashmiri people who were struggling for their right to self-determination.
Speaking to Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Self-determination Movement-International Raja Najabat Hussain here, FM Qureshi said Pakistan continues to raise the voice for oppressed Kashmiri people at all international forums including the UN, European Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and human rights organizations.
He said Kashmir dispute was an important pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He said Pakistan will continue to extend moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiri people in their just struggle for right to self-determination.
Citing the Indian atrocities on Kashmiri people, the Foreign Minister said all the Kashmiris had rejected the illegal and unilateral steps of August 5 last year.
Meanwhile, Pakistan yesterday said India was conspiring to malign the “Peace Corridor” initiative by casting mischievous aspersions against the interests of the Sikh community and to detract attention from India’s own reprehensible human rights violations of minorities in India.
Pakistan categorically rejected the baseless and fallacious propaganda by the Indian government against the Kartarpur Corridor, which has been rejected by the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee itself.
“The PSGPC remains responsible for carrying out rituals in Gurdwara Sahiban, including Kartarpur as per Sikh Rehat Maryada. The Project Management Unit under the Evacuee Trust Property Board has simply been created to facilitate the PSGPC in this regard,” said a foreign ministry statement.
Any insinuations regarding “transferring” the affairs of the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur from the PSGPC to the PMU, it said, “are not only contrary to the facts but also aimed at creating religious disharmony by the Hindutva-driven BJP government in India.”
The Sikh community from all over the world remains greatly appreciative of the efforts made by Pakistan to complete the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor Project in record time and for the excellent arrangements made to facilitate the pilgrims, it said.
“India would be well advised to take steps to protect its minorities and their places of worship, rather than feigning misleading and sham concerns for the rights of minorities elsewhere,” the statement said.