Pakistanis want PM Khan to talk on Kashmir in his UNGA address

ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis said on Friday that Prime Minister Imran Khan should tell the international community about the state of human rights in Kashmir in his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly that is scheduled to take place later today.
Islamabad has been trying to internationalize the Kashmir issue after India revoked special status of the Indian-administered Kashmir on August 5 and put over eight million Kashmiris under a strict curfew to prevent any protests against the decision in the Muslim-majority Himalayan valley.
Tensions between both the nuclear-armed neighbors – Pakistan and India – run high while Prime Minister Khan has already announced to highlight what he said India’s “illegal annexation” of the occupied territory and human rights abuses in the valley.
A couple of people Arab News spoke to ahead of the premier’s address to the UNGA said that it was a “golden opportunity” for him to internationalize the issue and tell the world about “India’s violation of human rights in Kashmir..”
“The international community especially European countries are very sensitive to violation of human rights anywhere, therefore Khan must highlight abduction and rape of Kashmir women and youth by Indian troops in his address,” Adnan Akram, a shopkeeper in Islamabad, told Arab News.
Shumaila Simon, an IT professional in Islamabad, said the prime minister should avoid verbosity and only present facts in the UNGA regarding Indian ‘aggression’ against innocent Kashmiris.
“Prime Minister should make full use of this platform, tell the world about Kashmir issue and its importance …. especially how this conflict can bring the two nuclear-armed neighbors face to face,” she told Arab News.
On the other hand, Prime Minister’s special assistant on media Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said in a Twitter post on Friday that Khan’s address to the UNGA will help “instill a new energy in the Kashmir cause.”