Muhammad Asad
ISLAMABAD: India must halt its state terrorism, stop human rights violations, release all Kashmiri leaders detained on fake charges, and lift the inhumane military siege of the valley. It was demanded by Spokesperson Pakistan Foreign Office, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad while responding to a media query during his weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Friday.
Asim Iftikhar categorically said that India must harbor no delusions, Pakistan will continue to raise its voice to express its concerns and highlight the gross extremes that India continues to commit with unchecked impunity against the Kashmiri people and their political leadership in IIOJK.
The entire nation is united in support and solidarity with the Kashmiris, which is also manifested by the unanimous resolutions passed by the joint session of the Parliament and demonstrates the resolve of the whole Pakistani nation that we shall continue to agitate all political, diplomatic and other avenues in this regard, added Spokesperson. While responding to another question regarding Foreign Minister’s visit to China, Spokesperson said that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zaradari paid an official visit to China on the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Whang Hi and also participated in the celebration events marking 71st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. According to him, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to the ‘Iron Brotherhood’ and the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership on the successful completion of seven decades of their bilateral and friendship.
The Spokesperson further said that Foreign Ministers held extensive consultations with his Chinese counterpart and reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on enhanced trade and economic cooperation, and fast-tracked progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is a flagship project of President Xi’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI) and a symbol of Pak-China all-weather friendship.
While responding to a media query regarding unprecedented increase of Indian atrocities and illegal prosecution of Kashmiri leadership by the Indian government in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Spokesperson was of the view that India’s designs to silence the Kashmiris and their leadership through oppression, vicious use of force and sham prosecutions will never succeed. According to Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, the public reaction in occupied territory on the illegal sentencing of Yasin Malik has proved, this vicious strategy will not diminish the Kashmiris desire for freedom but will give further momentum to the legitimate freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people in the future.
Amb. Asim Iftikhar once again urged India to halt its state terrorism, stop human rights violations, release all Kashmiri leaders detained on fake charges, and lift the inhumane military siege of the valley and resort to diplomacy and negotiations for a peaceful and durable solution of the Kashmir dispute. While answering another question regarding Pakistan’s efforts to highlight the illegal sentencing of Yasin Malik, Spokesperson said that Pakistan is reaching out diplomatically to major countries and other friends in the international community.
Pakistan has approached the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary-General of the OIC, while the Foreign Minister has discussed the issue at UN during his recent visit to New York while Foreign Minister is also preparing to write to the UN Secretary-General in the coming days.
While answering another query regarding Pakistan relations with the United States and China, Spokesperson said that Pakistan wants objective and balanced and broad-based relations with major powers and this includes the US and China and others as well, Pakistan will continue to pursue that policy.
According to him, being strategic partners, and active party to BRI, CPEC, and other initiatives Pakistan is closely engaged with China, but at the same time, Pakistan has strong contacts with the United States, and the recent engagement between the Foreign Ministers of the two nations is indicative of the fact that Pakistan has same desire for the expansion of broad-based, mutually beneficial bilateral relations based on mutual respect.
