ISLAMABAD: President of Pakistan on Sunday said that Pakistan reiterated its moral, diplomatic and political support for the ‘cause of the people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir’.
“27th October marks one of the darkest chapters of the Jammu & Kashmir history. On this day, seven decades ago, Indian forces landed in Srinagar to occupy, subjugate, oppress and terrorize the innocent people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoK) in blatant violation of international law,” President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi said in a statement.
The statement added that the United Nations Security Council through several of its resolutions, has validated the Kashmiris’ right to decide their future through a fair and impartial plebiscite.
“Despite its commitment to the international community to enforce these resolutions, India has embarked on a path of punitive suppression and pathological genocide that continues to this day,” President Alvi said
Pakistan’s President said that India does not realize that it is “impossible to crush the spirit of a people once they commit to the achievement of their freedom” and added “Pakistan strongly supports the OHCHR (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) Report’s recommendation to constitute a Commission of Inquiry (COI) to analyze the human rights situation in Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir.”
On Friday, the Interior Ministry on Friday issued a notification to this effect, urging people to wear black armbands and observe a minute-long silence at 1pm on Saturday.
The Kashmiris in the Indian administered Kashmir went on a general strike this week to bring international attention to what they say are Indian killings and brutalities against innocent civilians in the region. Prior to that, the valley witnessed gunbattles between security personnel and armed inhabitants of the area which resulted in several casualties.
Indian forces have been accused of using explosives in densely-populated areas, as some residents blame them for detonating bombs in areas where they suspect the presence of armed rebels. It may be recalled that the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights launched a first-of-its-kind report on violence perpetrated by Indian forces in Kashmir, in June this year.
The report mentioned an excessive use of force against innocent civilians along with other brutal tactics – as such sexual violence and enforced disappearances – which were frequently being used to break the will of Kashmiris. While India dismissed the report as “tendentious and motivated”, Pakistan has undertaken several diplomatic initiatives to bring international attention to the Indian oppression of the region.
Pakistan’s army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, while visiting troops at the Line of Control on Thursday, described the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan as an unfinished business of partition of 1947.
The Kashmiris have been uprising against Indian forces since 1989. According to some estimates, about 70,000 people have lost their lives since then. The residents of the valley say they will to continue to 'struggle for their self-determination.'
Pakistan observes ‘Kashmir Black Day’
Pakistan observes ‘Kashmir Black Day’
- Pakistan said it reiterates its moral, diplomatic and political support for Kashmir
- Army chief described the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan as an unfinished business of partition of 1947
Pakistan, Egypt reaffirm support for dialogue, diplomacy to resolve regional issues
- The development comes amid tensions over Yemen following the Southern Transitional Council advance into Hadramaut, Al-Mahra
- Saudi Arabia has invited factions in south Yemen to hold a dialogue in Riyadh to 'discuss just solutions to the southern cause'
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Egypt have reaffirmed their support for dialogue and diplomacy as the preferred means to resolve regional issues, the Pakistani foreign office said on Sunday, amid tensions over Yemen.
The development comes days after Saudi Arabia-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen said it conducted a “limited” airstrike targeting two shipments of smuggled weapons and other military hardware coming from the Emirati port of Fujairah into Mukalla in southern Yemen.
Coalition Forces spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the weapons and combat vehicles were meant to support the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in Yemen's Hadramaut and Al-Mahra "with the aim of fueling the conflict." The UAE has since announced withdrawal of its remaining troops from Yemen, rejecting any actions that could threaten the Kingdom or undermine regional stability.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty over the phone and discussed the current regional situation with him, according to a Pakistani foreign office statement.
"Both leaders reviewed current regional situation and appreciated efforts of all parties in resolving issues through dialogue and diplomacy," the statement said.
Separately, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has invited factions in south Yemen to hold a dialogue in Riyadh to “discuss just solutions to the southern cause.” The STC on Saturday welcomed Saudi Arabia’s invitation to take part in the inclusive dialogue among southern Yemeni factions.
Disregarding previous agreements with the Arab Coalition, the STC group had launched a sweeping military campaign early in December, seizing the governorates of Hadramaut along the Saudi border and the eastern governorate of Al-Mahra in Yemen’s border with Oman. It also took control of the strategic PetroMasila oilfields, which account for a massive portion of Yemen’s remaining oil wealth.
Pakistan this week expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to the Kingdom’s security.
“Pakistan expresses complete solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reaffirms its commitment to security of the Kingdom,” Pakistani foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters at a weekly news briefing.
“Pakistan maintains its firm support for the resolution of Yemen issue through dialogue and diplomacy and hopes that Yemen’s people and regional powers work together toward inclusive and enduring settlement of the issue, safeguarding regional stability.”
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark defense pact in September last year, according to which aggression against one country will be treated as an attack against both. The pact signaled a push by both governments to formalize long-standing military ties into a binding security commitment.
