International
‘Appoint a special envoy to Kashmir’: Pak PM Abbasi to UN
Hands UN chief Guterres a dossier on ‘Indian abuses in occupied Kashmir’
United Nations (New York): Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday raised the Kashmir issue with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and handed him ‘a dossier about human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir’.
Speaking at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Pakistan’s Prime Minister said, “We ask the UNGC and the high commission of the human rights to send an enquiry commission in Kashmir to verify the nature and extent of India’s human right violations. Secure the punishment of those responsible. And provide justice and relief to the victims.”
“The Kashmir dispute should be resolved justly, peacefully and expeditiously. As India is unwilling to resume the peace process with Pakistan, we call on the Security Council to fulfil its obligation to secure the implementation of its own resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
PM Abbasi also urged the UN secretary general to appoint a special envoy for Kashmir, saying that it was necessary because India had closed all doors for any dialogue. He also called for expanding the UN’s Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
“To this end, the UN secretary general should appoint a special envoy on Kashmir. His mandate should flow from the longstanding but unimplemented resolutions of the Security Council,” Abbasi said.
PM Abbasi also briefed the UN Secretary-General about ceasefire violations by Indian armed forces along LoC and said there had been around 6,00 violations this year alone. Only today, four people have been martyred due to Indian firing, he stated.
“But if India does venture across the LoC, or acts upon its doctrine of limited war against Pakistan, it will evoke a strong and matching response,” Abbasi said in his 20-minute speech.
The Pakistani prime minister said the legitimate struggle for self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir continues to be “brutally suppressed by India’s occupation forces”.
Abbasi, who assumed office few months ago, mentioned Kashmir a total of 17 times and India 14 times among other things in his speech.
He also said that from day one of its creation, Pakistan has faced unremitting hostility from its eastern neighbor (India).
“India refuses to implement the unanimous resolutions of the UN Security Council, which mandate a UN supervised plebiscite to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to freely decide their destiny,” he said.
“Instead, India has deployed nearly 700,000 troops in occupied Kashmir to suppress the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris to exercise their right to self-determination. This is the most intense foreign military occupation in recent history,” Abbasi said as he kicked up the Pakistan’s rhetoric against India.
“Shotgun pellets have blinded and maimed thousands of Kashmiris including children. These and other brutalities clearly constitute war crimes and violate the Geneva Conventions,” he charged.
Abbasi demanded an international investigation into the alleged atrocities in Kashmir and sending of an inquiry commission to Jammu and Kashmir in order to secure the punishment of those “responsible of human rights violation” and provide justice and relief to victims.
However, he stated that Pakistan remains open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue with India to address all outstanding issues, especially Kashmir and discuss measures to maintain peace and security in the region.
“This dialogue must be accompanied by an end to India’s campaign of subversion and state sponsored terrorism against Pakistan, including from across our western border,” Abbasi said.
India is expected to soon take up the podium to exercise its right to reply and respond to Abbasi’s remarks on Kashmir.
(With inputs from PTI)
