KHANEWAL   -   Minorities in Pakistan are enjoying their full rights and Pakistan is going to open Kartarpur Corridor on 11th of November, said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi while talking to The Nation here yesterday.

“I am going to visit a Hindu temple in Umar Kot on 31st of August. On the other hand, India is going to change status of Babri Mosque. We are providing full rights to minorities according to the Constitution of Pakistan while Muslims are not allowed to say Juma prayers in occupied Kashmir,” said Qureshi.

Qureshi said Muslims in India were not allowed to perform Qurbani and Eid prayers and mosques in occupied Kashmir were deserted. “It has exposed secular face of India in front of the whole world.”

“In spite of all this, Pakistan will continue supporting people of Kashmir. Opposition and government are on the same page over Kashmir issue. A joint meeting of Kashmir committee and of foreign committee will be held next week”.

Qureshi was in Khanewal to attend a meeting of office-holders of PTI from south Punjab at the house of deputy secretary of south Punjab Musadaq Shah. Qureshi said purpose of his visit was to convey message of Prime Minister Imran Khan to newly-electedoffice-bearers of Pakistan Tahreeek-e Insaf south Punjab. In his media talk, Qureshi said, “After  9/11, India associated freedom movement of Kashmir with terrorism but after 54 years we were able to raise this issue in UN Security Council. Now all international media is against Indian point of view and they are talking about brutality of the Indian forces.”

He further stated that PM Imran was successful in convincing the whole world that there were similarities between ideology of Nazi party and that of Modi. “Today world is afraid of Nazism. Imran raised issue of similarities between RSS and Nazi party”.

To a question, Qureshi said that Senate chairman cancelled his visit to UAE because at this moment sentiments of the public were against UAE. Indian forces used pallet guns and locked all mosques in occupied Kashmir, so Senate chairman showed solidarity with Kashmiri people but UAE is a close friend of Pakistan they helped us in the recent financial crisis.

He further said that in past Kashmiri people had three different viewpoints but due to policies of Moodi, now all Kashmiri people were standing on a single platform. “Now opposition in India is raising its voice against brutality of the Indian government and they are of the view that if everything is normal then why political leaders of 11 opposition parties were not allowed to leave Srinagar airport.

PTI’s south Punjab president Noor Muhammad Bhabha and all office-bearers from south Punjab welcomed foreign minister at the house of deputy secretary Musadaq Shah in Khanewal.

WILL TALK TO UAE FM ON KASHMIR: FM

APP adds: Qureshi said on Sunday that grave human rights (HR) violations were being committed by forces in occupied Kashmir, which, he warned, could result in a worst tragedy.

Talking to journalists before attending a “Kashmir Bane Ga Pakistan” rally in Multan, Qureshi said the Indian atrocities on the people of held valley were increasing with each passing day. “The international community should pay special attention to resolving the Kashmir issue,” he said and added, “The Indian government did not even allow opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to visit Kashmir and sent him back to New Delhi from Srinagar airport.”

He said he himself had contacted the United Nations Human Rights Commission and the UN secretary general and apprised them of the critical situation in IoK.

“The held valley has been under round the clock curfew for the last 21 days, and following the shortage of medicines and food, the situation has become critical,” he added.

The foreign minister said although India had tried to project Kashmir as its internal matter, but it had been exposed by Pakistan through a proactive foreign diplomacy. “The Islamic countries are already supportive of Pakistan’s stance on the issue, while Iran, Turkey and Malaysia have been particularly vocal in their support for the Kashmir cause,” he said.

He said the OIC should play its role and help stop Indian brutalities on the innocent people of Kashmir.

Qureshi said there were reports that India was planning to send extremists of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to Jammu and Kashmir. He called upon the international community to take notice of these reports.

The foreign minister said he would participate in a meeting on human rights to be held in Geneva on September 9 and would inform the world about the situation in the occupied valley.

“Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute, and India is violating resolutions of the United Nations,” he said. He urged the human rights organisations to visit IoK, inspect the ground situation there and then inform the world about it.

To a question, he said the United Nations should send its delegations to Kashmir and play its role in lifting curfew. He said he would soon meet UAE foreign minister and inform him about actual situation in IoK.

Qureshi said the United States was ready to play the role of a mediator on the Kashmir issue, but India had refused. He lauded the Pakistani media for organising a rally in Azad Kashmir to condemn torture on the Indian journalists at Srinagar airport.

The minister questioned if the situation was normal in the IoK then why the Indian opposition leaders were not allowed to visit the valley.

 “If there are no human rights violations in the occupied territory, then why is India reluctant to let opposition leaders and media go inside the valley?” Qureshi quoted Indian opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azaad as saying.

The foreign minister hoped that the Islamic countries would extend their support to Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

Separately, addressing a public meeting on Kashmir, Qureshi said the voice of Kashmiris could not be suppressed and their sacrifices would bear fruits.