ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ready to effectively respond to any misadventure or aggression by Indian forces with the full support of the nation, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday as he vowed to stand by the people of Kashmir and continue to provide them moral, political and diplomatic support.
The prime minister made these remarks while chairing a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) that was held to discuss recent escalation along the Line of Control and India’s use of cluster munition against civilians in Azad Kashmir.
Kashmir has surged back into the spotlight in recent days after New Delhi deployed at least 10,000 troops to the region and ordered foreign tourists and pilgrims to vacate the area citing an imminent threat of a suicide bombing.
“Pakistan will always stand with Kashmiris and will not be deterred from its just stance based on the [United Nations Security Council] resolutions and aspirations of Kashmiri people,” the prime minister said after chairing the meeting that was also attended by the three services chiefs, director-general Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and senior federal cabinet members.
Since 1947, Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region with 86,000 square miles of territory, remains disputed between India and Pakistan. Both countries claim it in full but only control parts of it. The two nations have also fought wars over the territory, but the dispute continues to linger on.
The NSC was briefed on India’s use of “cluster munitions against civilians to provoke Pakistan” and it also focused on New Delhi’s intent to change the demographic structure and the internationally recognized disputed status of Indian-administered Kashmir.
“The recent buildup of [Indian] forces [in Kashmir] and their brutal use against an unarmed population is adding fuel to fire,” the NSC said in a statement. “The forum strongly condemned such Indian strategy at this time when Pakistan and the international community are focused on resolving the Afghan conflict.”
The NSC noted that the recent Indian measures would increase the levels of violence and turn the area into a flashpoint and a destabilizing factor in the midst of two strategically capable neighboring countries.
“India is totally disregarding international obligations and her arrogance will only result in heightening the conflict dynamics in the region,” the prime minister said while inviting the attention of world leaders and international bodies toward “irresponsible, unilateral and irrational behavior” of Indian leadership.
The prime minister also reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve “to respond to any Indian misadventure or aggression with the full support of the nation.”
Renowned defense analyst General (r) Talat Masood said the Line of Control had become “very volatile” due to “India’s unprovoked firing on the civilian population across the border and its recent troop buildup in Kashmir to suppress the people struggling for their right to self-determination.”
“Both the countries should start talking to each other to cool off the Line of Control and prevent a full-scale armed conflict for the peace of the whole region,” he told Arab News.
Pakistan vows to stand by Kashmiris, respond to ‘Indian misadventures’
Pakistan vows to stand by Kashmiris, respond to ‘Indian misadventures’
- Condemns India’s decision to raise tensions in Kashmir at a time when the world is trying to resolve Afghan conflict
- Analysts urge the two South Asian nuclear neighbors to prevent a full-scale armed conflict in the region
Pakistani minister urges universal rights, dialogue at UN civilizations forum in Riyadh
- Musadik Malik warns selective application of human rights and weakening multilateralism risk deepening global divisions
- The minister also mentions water rights and urges equitable sharing by upper riparian states to support regional stability
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s climate change minister said principles of justice and human rights must be applied universally, according to an official statement released on Monday, warning against selective enforcement as he addressed a United Nations forum in Saudi Arabia focused on dialogue among civilizations.
The remarks came at the 11th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), held in Riyadh to mark the body’s 20th anniversary. The forum brings together political leaders, policymakers, and civil society groups to promote dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation across cultures and religions.
Its latest edition comes at a time of growing geopolitical fragmentation and conflict.
“I am firmly committed to women’s rights, minority rights, environmental rights, and children’s rights,” Musadik Malik said while addressing the gathering. “These rights are fundamental and non-negotiable.”
He said the global order was increasingly marked by weakening multilateralism, rising conflicts, and declining international funding for development and environmental priorities, cautioning that unilateral actions were replacing collective approaches with consequences for global peace and justice.
Malik questioned what he described as the selective application of human rights principles, drawing attention to the situations in Palestine and Kashmir, and said the rights of people in those regions must be recognized and protected in line with international norms.
The minister also highlighted water rights as a growing source of regional tension, emphasizing the responsibility of upper riparian states to ensure equitable and just sharing of water resources with downstream countries to support stability and sustainable development.
His statement comes months after India said unilaterally it was holding the Indus Waters Treaty “in abeyance,” a move described as illegal by the administration in Islamabad and as “an act of war.”
The 1960 agreement between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank, divides the rivers of the Indus basin between the two countries and sets rules for how they can use and manage shared water resources to avoid conflict.
Malik said the UNAOC’s 20th anniversary was a timely reminder of the need to recommit to dialogue, peace, and mutual respect in an increasingly divided world.
