By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday expressing strong support for the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, said the Pakistani nation, including the political and military leadership, had the same stance on the Kashmir issue.
He was chairing the All Parties Conference on the Kashmir situation, here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The conference was attended by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Information Minister Senator Shibli Faraz, Law Minister Barrister Farogh Naseem, Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur, Minister for Inter-provincial Harmony Dr Fehmida Mirza,, Kashmir Committee Chairman Sheharyar Afridi, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Moeed Yousaf, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Farrukh Habib, Senator Raja Zafar ul Haq, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, Senator Sherry Rehman, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Aimal Wali Khan, Senator Sitara Ayaz, Senator Anwar ul Haq Kakar, Senator Murtaza Javed, Khawaja Asif and others.
Foreign Minister Qureshi said Pakistan had exposed the ongoing human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) at every international forum.
He mentioned that India tried to change the demographic ratio in the IIOJK by amending the domicile laws, terming it a “clear violation of international law”.
He said all the political parties of Pakistan were united on the Kashmir issue.
Qureshi said following the footsteps of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Bharatiya Janta Party government because of its Hindutva thinking had sowed the seeds of hatred in the hearts of Kashmiris and minorities living in India.
He stressed that India could not demoralize unarmed Kashmiris despite continuous torture and imprisonment. Today, the real face of the Indian government has been exposed to the world, he said.
The foreign minister said Pakistan would continue to support its Kashmiri brothers until they get their due right to self-determination.
Moreover, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Tuesday said the entire country would send a strong message to India on the one-year anniversary of military siege in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOK) on August 5 that it was united on Kashmir cause.
Talking to PTV news channel, after attending the All Parties Conference, the foreign minister said that he had invited all political parties and stakeholders, which included the PPP, PML-N and other parties’ leaderships, to the Foreign Office where they will exchange views on the Kashmir issue.
Shah Mehmood also thanked opposition parties for participating in negotiations with government on Kashmir issue and appreciated their positive inputs.
“We will take the political and Kashmiri leadership into confidence regarding the issue,” he stressed, adding that the Yaum-e-Istehsal event will also come under discussion during today’s cabinet session.
