A statement issued from Governor’s House here said that Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar called on Congressman Lou Correa, Congresswoman Norma J. Toress, California State Senator Josh Newman, Mayor of Anaheim Harry Sindhu, Mayor of Artesia Ali Sajjad Taj, Mayor of Yorba Linda Peggy Huang and others on the occasion.

Governor Punjab apprised the US officials about the violation of human rights in Kashmir and Palestine, atrocities against the innocent Kashmiri and Palestinian people, Pakistan’s role for peace and Pakistan’s successful handling of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The American Congressman and Congresswoman appreciated Pakistan’s role in the war on terror and assured support of the United States to Pakistan for regional peace and to further augment bilateral ties between Pakistan and the USA.

Talking to US officials, Chaudhry Sarwar said that Pakistan has always stood by peace and today international organizations including the Indian Army Chief are acknowledging Pakistan’s efforts for peace and war on terror and the sacrifices made by Pakistan for the Afghan peace process are unparalleled in the world. The world should put diplomatic pressure on India and Israel to end the atrocities in Kashmir and Israel and liberate the people there, he added.

Governor Punjab said that Pakistan under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan is striving for regional peace. US President Joe Biden promised to resolve the Kashmir issue before he came to power and the US government should play a constructive role in resolving Kashmir and Palestine issues as per the UN resolutions.

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Islamabad, June 02 (KMS): Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Cooperation Organization (PAECO) has strongly condemned human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The unanimous declaration was made by the organization’s Executive Council meeting, attended by parliament speakers from ECO, which currently has 10 members including Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan. The two-day conference is being held in Islamabad.

“In its landmark outcome document, The Islamabad Declaration, the forum extended unanimous support to the oppressed peoples” of Kashmir and Palestine,” said , a statement issued by the National Assembly.

On the proposal of Turkey and Afghanistan, the council elected Asad Qaiser, the speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, as chairperson of PAECO’s Executive Council.

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Bilal Ahmad Siddiqui in a statement issued in Srinagar said, the stand taken by Prime Minister Imran khan should serve as an eye opener for skeptical people who cast doubts over the Kashmir policy of Government of Pakistan.

“People and Hurriyat leadership have full faith on Pakistan and Prime Minister Imran Khan and highly appreciate his efforts to highlight the Kashmir dispute at every international forum.”

The remarks that there will be no talks and restoration of trade with New Delhi till India restores pre 5th August 2019 position are highly appreciable and people and Hurriyat leadership fully back his stand and thank Imran khan for reassuring the subjugated people of Jammu Kashmir of his full support in their struggle for right to self-determination.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Political Resistance Movement General Secretary Dr Musaib hailed Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan for his clear-cut Kashmir policy and urged India to resolve Kashmir issue in accordance with aspirations of Kashmiri people.

The Jammu and Kashmir Insaf Party Vice Chairman, Mohamed Sultan Butt praised the refreshing of the unwavering commitment of Pakistan to continue its political, moral and diplomatic support to the popular movement of the people of Kashmir for their inalienable right to self determination. He said that the all possible efforts done by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan have proved as a source of inspiration for the young generation of Kashmir.

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Islamabad, May 28 (KMS): Chairman Kashmir Committee Shehryar Khan Afridi has said that Indian occupational regime was replicating the Israeli occupational model in Jammu and Kashmir and the world must stand up to prevent another Palestine being removed from planet earth.

Addressing the participants of a seminar titled ‘Palestine and Kashmir Crisis: Call for Justice’, held here jointly by Kashmir Committee and Muslim Institute at PIPS, Afridi said that before August, 5, 2019, the Indian regime had sent its top Police and civil bureaucrats posted in Jammu and Kashmir to Israel for learning, training and then brought back to replicate the Israeli model in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that among those included infamous police officer, Imtiaz Hussain, who is blamed for killing 200 Kashmiri Muslims. Imtiaz Hussain was sent to Israel to understand the Israeli security system before August 5, 2019 and on return he was posted as security in-charge in Srinagar to suppress protests in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the disposition of local population from Jammu and Kashmir was another area where India is learning from Israeli regime and India is replicating the same in Kashmir.

“Settler colonial project of Israel is being implemented in Jammu and Kashmir in blatant violation of UN resolutions. 40,00,000 new domicile certificates have been issued out of which 500,000 issued to people from mainland India who never visited Kashmir. Non-local Indians are being given tourism opportunities while jungles are also being leased to people from mainland India while Kashmiris are being refused. Gulmerg hotels are being refused to locals and India is leasing those to Indians now. India is economically strangulating Kashmiris and dispossessing the Kashmiris in blatant violation of the UN resolutions,” he added.

He said in a bid to cement the military occupation on Kashmir, militarisation process is being pushed to a new high and new bunkers are being constructed with concrete material on sides of roads and streets. There is 400 percent increase in bunkers post August 5, 2019 and the military men harass the Kashmiri people on streets on one pretext or another just to provoke them. India has imposed military lockdown in guise of Covid-19 lockdown,” he said. He said Modi regime is silencing the genuine voices and rights activists in Kashmir, depriving families from their very basic livelihood opportunities in a fascist manner. The Indian authorities have illegally and illogically terminated the services of many Muslim government officials in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the Indian authorities have set up a Special Task Force (STF) to initiate action against government employees on their social work and pro-freedom sentiments, beating youth to the submission. The belligerent Modi regime in IIOJK had completed a list of 1000 Muslim employees for the termination and it is reported that more than 500 govt employees are being terminated from their services in IIOJK since Aug 5, 2019. “The purpose behind the termination is to make Kashmiris subservient to New Delhi. Furthermore, Modi regime is hell-bent to kill the economy of Kashmir and is using various tools to keep naive people away from the benefits of their own resources,” he added. Other distinguished speakers included AJK President Masood Khan, President Muslim Institute Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Ali, Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan Ahmad Rabaie, Ambassador of Turkey to Pakistan, Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Pakistan Ali Fikrat Oglu Alizada and Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andleeb Abbas.

Speakers observed that Kashmir and Palestine issues present examples of worst human rights violations in the contemporary world. Both of the issues are outstanding and as old as the United Nations itself but yet they remain unresolved. Indian forces in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Israeli forces in Occupied Palestine are violating international laws and committing crimes against humanity.

During past few weeks Palestinians people were targeted by the Israeli forces. Both the areas are facing the forced demographic changes and Islamophobic policies. In the contemporary world, both of these unresolved issues remind us what Nazis committed in Europe in last century. Unfortunately, Palestinians are facing oppression by the people whose ancestors claim to face holocaust. People of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir are facing oppression on the hands of Nazi loving BJP that is backed by RSS, the ideological sibling of Hitler fascism. Indian and Israeli occupying forces have converted occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Gaza strip into an open prison. It is the prime duty of United Nations to implement its resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine and provide them with due rights as promised in numerous resolutions. Attacks on religious gatherings in the holy month of Ramazan on the religious place like Masjid Al-Aqsa are condemnable. Every Muslim feels the pain of such attacks. However, the overall leadership of Muslim world has not been able to adopt practical policy to resolve either Kashmir or Palestine issue due to their own internal and sectarian conflicts. It is high time to ponder upon the future and adopt a unified policy based upon principle of humanity ensured in all international laws including UN Charter.

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Addressing at a joint presser with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the UNGA president said the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir lay with the implementation of the UN Charter and through peaceful means as decided between Pakistan and India under Simla Agreement.

He said the Palestine issue worldwide had received more political win than the J&K dispute and suggested Pakistan to bring the issue of the latter to the UN platform “more strongly”.

Volkan Bozkir, who arrived here Wednesday on a three-day visit, focused his press conference on the issues of Palestine, Jammu and Kashmir, Afghanistan, and the role of UN in handling the conflicts.

On Palestine, Bozkir said, “We have captured the momentum and the eye of the storm. When the political structure is ready for something, nothing will stop it.”

He lauded Foreign Minister Qureshi for “representing Pakistan in a good way” to highlight the Palestine issue internationally joined by his other counterparts.

“[I] witnessed that in last UN meeting on Palestine, your leadership was very important that moved towards success,” he said.

As president of UNGA, he said, it was his duty to remain impartial, however said that “impartiality could be defined” in other words.

“For a case like Palestine, I think that helping people and giving them a just solution to their problem is impartiality,” he said. Also, the goal of ending occupation and achieving two independent viable states side by sides in mutual recognition to the pre-1969 settlement is important, he added.

The UNGA president said Pakistan along with Turkey was playing an important role in the restoration of peace in Afghanistan, which he said, could have its effects on an international and regional basis.

He said termed Pakistan his “second home” and added that the love between Pakistan and Turkey was not due to any financial reasons, but a connection of hearts.

He drew attention to the importance of wearing a face mask by putting on a green mask and necktie, as a gesture to honour Pakistan’s national colour and flag.

He mentioned the charisma of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the support he gained at the international fora, which he said was important for Pakistan.

Bozkir also appreciated PM Khan’s tree plantation campaigns and the ambitious 10 billion tree project.

On the ongoing UN Security Council reforms, he stressed a balance among the UNGA, UNSC and the Secretary-General.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he apprised President Volkan Bozkir about the dire situation in Indian illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and drew his attention on the similarity of Palestine and J&K disputes.

“Both Palestinians and Kashmiri demand self-determination and protection from demographic destruction and violation of human rights. The UN must play its role in honour of its own pledges,” he said.

He said the Kashmir dispute was a reality that could not be ignored or erased from the UN agenda.

He warned that the same simmering situation of Palestine and Kashmir could blow into a fireball in the Middle East and South Asia.

To a question regarding Pakistan’s position on the stance of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said at the very important meeting of the Human Rights Council taking place in Geneva, Pakistan’s ambassador Khalil Hashmi would move a resolution on Israel’s war crimes and genocide.

He expressed confidence that the western societies that believed in human rights would actually take concrete steps to draw the attention of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on human rights violations and war crimes taking place in Gaza and Western Bank, where the holy site of three religions – Islam, Judaism and Christianity, was situated.

Qureshi said on Palestine, the “first milestone” had been achieved, adding that “as a Muslim Ummah, we look towards the revival of the peace process as the fire was not fully extinguished.”

He said dialogue, peaceful co-existence and a two-State solution in accordance with the UN resolutions was the only sustainable solution.

Earlier, the Foreign Minister discussed with President Bozkir a wide range of political and socio-economic issues on the UN agenda including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, the situation in Palestine, Afghan peace process, reform of the UN Security Council, equitable access to COVID-19 Vaccines, and Financing for Sustainable Development.

The Foreign Minister apprised Volkan Bozkir about the grave human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The Foreign Minister stressed that India’s systematic efforts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory were in contravention of international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.

The Foreign Minister called for a just and peaceful solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

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“But, India must stop the human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and revisit the unilateral measures it took on 5 August 2019,” the prime minister said in his virtual address at Nikkei’s 26th Conference on ‘Future of Asia – Shaping the Post-Covid Era: Asia’s Role in Global Recovery’.

He highlighted that it was essential that an enabling environment was created for dialogue to peacefully resolve the Jammu & Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UNSC resolutions and the wishes of the people of Kashmir.

Imran Khan said the situation in Palestine remained a matter of deep concern for everyone and urged the international community to take urgent actions to stop the Israeli attacks against Palestinians, prevent the desecration of holy places especially Al-Aqsa Mosque and facilitate a just and lasting solution in line with the relevant UN resolutions.

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The National Security Advisor in a series of tweets on his official Twitter handle expressed solidarity with Kashmiris and paid tribute to the martyred Kashmiri leader of the freedom movement Mirwaiz Maulvi Muhammad Farooq.

He said, “May 21 is a dark day in the history of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Today, 31 years ago in 1990, Kashmiri leader of the freedom movement Mirwaiz Maulvi Muhammad Farooq was martyred in Srinagar.”

The National Security Advisor added that illegal Occupation forces opened fire at protestors on his (Mirwaiz Maulvi Muhammad Farooq) funeral martyring 70 more Kashmiris.

Dr Moeed said faced with the unyielding spirit of Kashmiri self-determination, human rights violations and fake encounters by occupation forces were continued.

“Their latest victim is Shaheed Ashraf Sehrai. Many more Kashmiri leaders remain incarcerated in IIOJK. Every Pakistani feels their pain and shares their desire for freedom,” he said.

The National Security Advisor said, “No amount of false propaganda aimed at demoralising Kashmiris will change the reality that Pakistan always has and always will stand by the Kashmiris and their right to self determination.”

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The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Palestine. FM Qureshi is in New York as part of Pakistan’s extensive diplomatic outreach efforts to mobilize international support for the Palestinians.

During the meeting, according to a Pakistan Mission press release, the foreign minister conveyed the strong sense of outrage on behalf of the entire Pakistani nation over Israel’s use of indiscriminate and disproportionate force against the Palestinians, resulting in the loss of numerous lives, including dozens of women and children.

He also called for ensuring protection of Palestinian civilians, allow humanitarian access to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and initiate an emergency UN humanitarian assistance plan for the Palestinians.

The foreign minister underscored that peace in the region can only be achieved through the realization of a two-state solution and through the establishment of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

The Foreign Minister also briefed the UN chief on the deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in IIOJK, including continued extra-judicial killings.

He conveyed Pakistan’s deep concern at the continued incarceration of Kashmiri political leaders in crowded conditions despite the coronavirus pandemic, leading to the death of prominent Kashmiri leader and Chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir, Ashraf Sehrai in Indian custody.

He urged Guterres to use his good offices and mediation to resolve the Jammu & Kashmir dispute, including by calling on India to rescind its illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, and to allow the Kashmiris to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN resolutions.

He also reiterated Pakistan’s call for further strengthening the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the ceasefire line in the disputed region.

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In an interview “Pakistan-China Defense Cooperation”, he said that China wants a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue to bring peace and stability in the region and the country is opposed to the approach of a military solution to the dispute.

He said that China on one hand, befittingly responded to Indian Army adventurism in Ladakh while on the other, it helped Pakistan convene an informal session of the UN Security Council to discuss the Kashmir issue after more than 50 years.

The AJK president said that China was the only friend of Pakistan in the world which has remained stuck to the stance on Kashmir it had adopted in the 1960s.

When India abolished the old status of the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) after August 5, 2019, and declared the region Indian union territory, China had strongly opposed the move.

Talking about multidimensional defense cooperation between Pakistan and China, Sardar Masood Khan said China and Pakistan share close military relations as China is providing a range of modern technologies to Pakistan for strengthening its defense system, helping Pakistan in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and both countries are making concerted efforts to forge deeper strategic ties for a shared future and security.

He said that China has been supporting Pakistan in defense matters since the 1960s and expressed the hope that its position will remain unchanged in the future.

The state president said that China had no direct concern with the ceasefire agreement reached between the armed forces of Pakistan and India on the Line of Control, but being a friendly country, China supports every measure and step in the interest of Pakistan.

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Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, he said he would leave for Turkey and meet his Turkish, Palestinian, and Sudanese counterparts there.

The National Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution expressing deep concern over the increasing violence and brutality perpetrated against the Palestinian people by the Israeli apartheid regime.

He said Pakistan, Turkey, Sudan, and Palestine’s foreign ministers would visit New York and raise their voices against Israel’s aggression in the Gaza Strip at the UN General Assembly.

“I will represent the voices of 22 million Pakistanis in New York,” he said.

Permanent Observer Mission of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to the United Nations will contact the president of UNGA and ask him to summon a session on the issue immediately, he said. — Courtesy Geo TV

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