ISLAMABAD: All 15 members of the United Nations Security Council have expressed serious concerns over the deteriorating situation in India-administered Kashmir, Pakistani Foreign Office said on Thursday.
A Security Council meeting on Kashmir was convened on Wednesday on a request by Pakistan, which was backed by China – one of the council’s permanent members.
“During the hour-long discussion all the council members, including P-5 countries (permanent council members) expressed serious concerns regarding the deteriorating situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including the continued curfew and blackout imposed on the Kashmiri people, and potential threat of a conflict,” Foreign Office spokeswoman Aisha Farooqui said in a weekly media briefing in Islamabad.
She said UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) representatives briefed Security Council members on “India’s illegal actions,” “the continuous crackdown on Kashmiri leadership and people by Indian forces,” and confirmed that they had “resulted in the rise of tension.”
“Political leaders remained detained and Internet blockade remained in place. There is also deployment across the LOC (Line of Control). UNMOGIP members continued to face restrictions on the Indian side,” Farooqui said, adding that it was reaffirmed during the session that the Kashmir issue is an international dispute.
“We hope that such continued international scrutiny will exert pressure on the (Indian Prime Minister) Modi government to reverse its unilateral measure and to stop human rights and cease-fire violations against Pakistan,” she said, expressing Pakistan’s stance that the dispute must be resolved in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
She added that it was a second time in five months that the Security Council was discussing the Kashmir situation.
Farooqui said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had held three important meetings with the UN secretary general and President of UNSC, the presidents of the Security Council and General Assembly.
The foreign minister, Farooqui said, apprised the UN leaders on the effects of the over five-month Indian lockdown, rejecting all claims of “normalcy” in the territory. He also informed them about India’s “war-mongering” attitude, she said.
“The foreign minister underscored that persistent war mongering by Indian political and military leadership was a threat to regional peace and security,” as he requested the Security Council “to act decisively to prevent a disastrous war between Pakistan and India.”
Qureshi also reaffirmed Pakistan’s willingness to continue its efforts and support for Kashmir and be the voice of Kashmiri people at every forum, Farooqui said.
UN Security Council has 'serious concerns' over Kashmir — Foreign Office
https://arab.news/mz67n
UN Security Council has 'serious concerns' over Kashmir — Foreign Office
- Wednesday’s session on Kashmir was held on Pakistan’s request
- FM Qureshi urged UN to ‘prevent a disastrous war between Pakistan and India’
EU, Pakistan sign €60 million loan agreement for clean drinking water in Karachi
- Project will finance rehabilitation, construction of water treatment facilities in Karachi city, says European Investment Bank
- As per a report in 2023, 90 percent of water samples collected from various places in city was deemed unfit for drinking
ISLAMABAD: The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Pakistan’s government on Wednesday signed a €60 million loan agreement, the first between the two sides in a decade, to support the delivery of clean drinking water in Karachi, the EU said in a statement.
The Karachi Water Infrastructure Framework, approved in August this year by the EIB, will finance the rehabilitation and construction of water treatment facilities in Pakistan’s most populous city of Karachi to increase safe water supply and improve water security.
The agreement was signed between the two sides at the sidelines of the 15th Pak-EU Joint Commission in Brussels, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“Today, the @EIB signed its first loan agreement with Pakistan in a decade: a €60 million loan supporting the delivery of clean drinking water for #Karachi,” the EU said on social media platform X.
https://x.com/eupakistan/status/2001258048132972859
Radio Pakistan said the agreement reflects Pakistan’s commitment to modernize essential urban services and promote climate-resilient infrastructure.
“The declaration demonstrates the continued momentum in Pakistan-EU cooperation and highlights shared priorities in sustainable development, public service delivery, and climate and environmental resilience,” it said.
Karachi has a chronic clean drinking water problem. As per a Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) study conducted in 2023, 90 percent of water from samples collected from various places in the city was deemed unsafe for drinking purposes, contaminated with E. coli, coliform bacteria, and other harmful pathogens.
The problem has forced most residents of the city to get their water through drilled motor-operated wells (known as ‘bores’), even as groundwater in the coastal city tends to be salty and unfit for human consumption.
Other options for residents include either buying unfiltered water from private water tanker operators, who fill up at a network of legal and illegal water hydrants across the city, or buying it from reverse osmosis plants that they visit to fill up bottles or have delivered to their homes.
The EU provides Pakistan about €100 million annually in grants for development and cooperation. This includes efforts to achieve green inclusive growth, increase education and employment skills, promote good governance, human rights, rule of law and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
