ISLAMABAD - Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi yesterday said that human rights had been completely usurped in held Kashmir.
Speaking at a policy seminar arranged on the annexation of occupied Kashmir by India and the subsequent challenges and responses, Qureshi said that political voices in Pakistan have been speaking with one voice despite other differences and “this gives us hope as well as strength.”
He said that Kashmiri people were facing the worst life situation for last 22 days only for one reason; being Kashmiris.
Qureshi said that India on 5th August has attempted to consolidate its occupation which was already illegal.
He said that father of the nation called Kashmir the jugular vein of Pakistan and “we will go to any limits to bring the basic human right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people and to ensure that Indian atrocities come to a halt.”
The FM said that Pakistan’s intensive diplomatic efforts were focused on respecting the UN resolutions and bringing the issue to a resolution in light of those resolutions.
He remarked that Narendra Modi’s government was telling half-baked truths to delegitimize the movement of Kashmiris and India’s actions are a grave destabilising threat to the already volatile situation of South Asia.
“Pakistan has no desire to escalate the situation and we believe that the only solution of the situation is for India to accept resolving the issue under the UN Resolutions,” he said.
He also lauded the Committee’s efforts in keeping the Kashmir issue alive at multiple forums and said that the deliberations made here will be useful in mapping out the future strategy.
He expressed his concern that the current regime might not respect the Indus Water Treaty and an example of this was witnessed recently when early warning of opening water gates was not given to Pakistan as the treaty requires.
In his speech, Chairman Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed observed that 22 days had passed since the illegal annexation and the spontaneous and unhindered retaliation of this annexation continues despite the brutalities being committed by Modi’s regime and this has contributed in internationalising the Kashmir issue.
He said that Pakistan expresses its gratitude to the global friends as well as intellectuals, scholars and civil society activists who have been outspoken in supporting the Kashmiri people and Pakistan’s perspective.
He said that voices from across the globe had emerged condemning this Indian step and Indian writer Arundhati Roy called this act architecture of Indian fascism.
In the policy seminar arranged on the annexation of occupied Kashmir by Modi’s India and the subsequent challenges and responses, the participants agreed on taking appropriate action to relieve the Kashmiris of Indian atrocities.
Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr ShireenMazari remarked that nuclear weapons are not just a flashpoint between the two countries but India has already started operationalizing what can become in future a nuclear war between India and Pakistan.
She said that Indian had not just tried to review the No First Use policy and have done it numerous times earlier also and by saying this repeatedly India is just trying to make a fool out of other nations.
She observed that changing the status or demography of an occupied state comes under war crimes under the Geneva Convention and India has committed a war crime by annexing held Kashmir and has an agenda of ethnic cleansing.