ISLAMABAD:India’s controversial role in Afghanistan is not in the interest of regional stability and not acceptable to Pakistan.
During the weekly press briefing, Spokesperson foreign office Nafees Zakriya here on Thursday said Indian role in Afghan’s conflict can endanger regional stability, Pakistan takes this issue very seriously and has raised it on several international fora.
He said Pakistan has also taken up this issue in high level US delegation visit to Pakistan which was a follow-up of the meeting between our Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and US Vice President Mike Pence in Washington. “We have provided proofs of Indian interference in Afghanistan “,he added.
He said that both sides have agreed to remain engage in regional cooperation at all levels especially with regard to terrorism. “US delegation has also been briefed on HR violations in IoK during the meeting”, he added.
Nafees said the essence of the meeting with US delegation was to focus on finding the solution of terrorism and Afghan conflict.
Replying to a query he said, Pakistan has always showed consent to participate in any initiative that aimed to find settlement of Afghan issue. “We have to move forward, Pakistan has always supported all the initiatives including Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG).
He said Pakistan wants an ‘Afghan-led’ solution of the issue.
He informed that Foreign Secretary also visited Russia to lead the Pakistan delegation to the meeting of Shenghai Corporation Organization (SCO) Contact Group on Afghanistan. She also held bilateral meetings with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Igor Morgulov and Russian President’s Special Representative on Afghanistan Ambassador Zamir Kabulov.
Replying to a question about India hosting the 14th EU-India summit last week, he said being a custodian of Human Rights, European Union should take a clear stance on Indian atrocities in Indian occupied Kashmir.
He informed that in Indian occupied Kashmir, brutal killing of Kashmiris by Indian armed forces continues unchecked. “In last four days, reportedly seven Kashmiri youth have been martyred. We condemn Indian atrocities in IoK against innocent Kashmiris and urge International Community to act now to stop Kashmiris’ bloodshed and India to hold accountable for the heinous crimes being committed by its forces in IoK”.
He said Pakistan has been effectively raising the issue of Kashmir at International Forums and calls for immediate halt of bloodshed in the valley. “Our representatives in in UN New York and UN Geneva have constantly been raising this issue”,he added.
He said OIC contact groups on Kashmir have also urged sending of a Fact-Finding Mission to IoK which is also demanded by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Council, OIC’s IPHRC and Parliamentarians and members of civil society from across the globe.
He said our permanent representatives in UN have emphasized that human rights violations in IOK must not go unnoticed and silence on account of political and economic expediency is a manifestation of double standards. They underlined that it would also damage the credibility of the proponents of human rights and defeats the purpose for which Human Rights bodies were created.
Replying to another question he said, “We have been engaging with Iranian authorities over border management and there has been no miscommunication between the two countries”.
He said Kashmir dispute is among the oldest items on the UN agenda. Non-resolution of this dispute by the UN has encouraged India to prevent the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, through force and fraud, from ‘exercising their fundamental and inalienable right to self-determination’.
The spokesperson said Indian deployment of 700,000 Indian troops in occupied Kashmir to suppress the legitimate freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people, is a blatant violation of the UNSC Resolutions on Kashmir.
