Kashmir settlement under UN resolutions imperative for lasting peace: FO
Islamabad: Pakistan has said that India’s fictitious narrative of victimhood cannot hide its involvement in fomenting terrorism on Pakistan’s soil and the state-sanctioned oppression in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan at his weekly media briefing in Islamabad today said a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, is essential for a lasting peace in South Asia.
He said Pakistan is alarmed over the increased frequency of Indian leadership’s unwarranted assertions about Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that it was India that took the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to the United Nations in 1948 so no right to blame the Security Council and its erstwhile members for the resolutions that were subsequently adopted.
The Spokesperson said repetition of baseless claims cannot deny the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory. He said the final status of the dispute is to be determined by its people through an UN-supervised plebiscite, as stipulated in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The Spokesperson said Pakistan has always advocated constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. However, peace and stability in South Asia has remained hostage to India’s rigid approach and hegemonic ambitions.
Replying to a question, Shafqat Ali Khan said Indian involvement in fanning terrorism in Pakistan and destabilizing Balochistan is also clear. He pointed out that India has not condemned the recent attack on Jaffar Express in Balochistan.
The Spokesperson said not only in Pakistan, India has been sponsoring such unlawful activities in the entire region. He said instead of blaming others, India should reflect on its own record of orchestrating targeted assassinations, subversion and terrorism in foreign territories.
The Spokesperson added that the anti-Pakistan narrative, emanating from India, vitiates the bilateral environment and impedes the prospects for peace and cooperation and it must stop.
