MULTAN - Rubbishing Indian Army chief’s statement of attacking Pakistan,
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday said that Pakistan Army was fully prepared to defend the country’s borders and to respond to any aggression.
“The Indian troops often resort to unprovoked firing on the civilians across the Line of Control (LoC), while the Pakistan’s armed forces always show restraint and never target the civilians on the other side,” he said while talking to the media here at Manzoorabad. Qureshi further said that Pakistan Army even shunned targeting the civilian property along the LoC. Qureshi said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had internationalized the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, which was taken up by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) after 54 years.
Contrary to the past regimes, he said, the PTI government raised the Kashmir issue in an effective manner across the globe, which was now being discussed at almost all important international forums, including the US Congress, European Parliament, British Parliament, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Human Rights Council. The minister informed newsmen that he had highlighted grave human rights violations being committed by the Indian occupation forces in the held valley at the Human Rights Council’s meeting in Geneva two days ago.
“About 58 countries supported Pakistan’s stance and urged India to refrain from human rights violations in the occupied territory,” he added.
The foreign minister deplored that India was misleading the international community on the issue by portraying it as its internal matter.
The Jammu and Kashmir, he said, was a disputed territory, where things were not normal. “India has imposed curfew there and does not even allow the locals to perform their religious rituals, like taking out Muharram processions, offering Eidul Azha and Friday prayers,” Qureshi said, and added that the youth were subjected to severe torture by the Indian forces.
The foreign minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his address to the UN General Assembly on September 27, would present the Kashmiris’ case to the world in an effective manner and also expose India’s nefarious designs.
He thanked the local and international media for highlighting the Kashmir issue, especially human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. “Kashmiris and Pakistanis are raising voice against the human rights violations by the Indian Army in the occupied valley, in almost all the world capitals,” he added.
Referring to Friday’s huge public meeting in Muzaffarabad, Qureshi said the whole world had witnessed the enthusiasm of the people of Azad Kashmir.
He said the Modi government was inspired by RSS ideology, and was working for the Hindutwa supremacy through the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in the occupied Kashmir.
“The Indian government wants to convert the Muslim majority in the state into a minority,” he cautioned.
To a question about Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s march, Qureshi said that Maulana should better think of the sufferings of Kashmiris instead of doing politics for personal gains.
“The prime minister and his government are highlighting the gravity of Kashmir issue across the globe,” the minister boasted.
On the occasion, Qureshi also performed the groundbreaking of sewerage schemes worth Rs100 million in five union councils.