ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Thursday that the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) should be strengthened to prevent any false flag operation in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, Qureshi announced that the government would launch an awareness campaign from Saturday to sensitize people about the ongoing situation in Kashmir. He added that the campaign would include photo exhibitions, solidarity rallies and seminars.
Among other events, he continued, the prime minister would address the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad and speak at a public rally in Mirpur on February 5.
India, he noted, was being “deceitful” by trying to create and impression that Pakistan was blowing the situation in Kashmir out of proportion.
The foreign minister reminded the participants of the gathering that the people of Indian-administered Kashmir were under a security lockdown for the last 175 days, adding that the administration in New Delhi had trampled their fundamental rights and transformed the region into a prison for its eight million residents.
Qureshi also expressed his government’s resolve to highlight the recent developments in Kashmir until its people were allowed to exercise their right to self-determination.
He said that Pakistan was doing its best to take up the issue “at the highest level,” noting that Prime Minister Imran Khan discussed it during his meeting with United States President Donald Trump and briefed the American leader on the complexity of the situation and its likely outcomes.
The foreign minister said it was due to the government’s efforts that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) recently arranged two important sessions on Kashmir after about 50 years.
In its latest meeting on the subject on January 17, the world body was briefed about the ongoing situation in Kashmir by the UN political department and UNMOGIP.
Qureshi talked about his own meeting with the UN secretary general and the president of the Security Council after the session and how he gave them a low down on what was going on in the disputed Himalayan territory.
He reiterated that the world needed to take stock of developments in Kashmir since any dispute between two nuclear-armed neighbors would prove disastrous for everyone.
Pakistan calls for strengthening UN military observer group in Kashmir
https://arab.news/5758k
Pakistan calls for strengthening UN military observer group in Kashmir
- FM Qureshi says the government will launch a Kashmir awareness campaign from Jan. 25
- The PM will address the legislative assembly in Muzaffarabad and a public rally in Mirpur on Feb. 5
Pakistan, China to sign multiple MoUs at major agriculture investment conference today
- Hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani firms to attend Islamabad event
- Conference seen as part of expanding CPEC ties into agriculture, trade
KARACHI: Islamabad and Beijing are set to sign multiple memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to boost agricultural investment and cooperation at a major conference taking place in the capital today, Monday, with hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani companies expected to participate.
The conference is being billed by Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research as a platform for deepening bilateral agricultural ties and supporting broader economic engagement between the two countries.
“Multiple memorandums of understanding will be signed at the Pakistan–China Agricultural Conference,” the Ministry of National Food Security said in a statement. “115 Chinese and 165 Pakistani companies will participate.”
The conference reflects a growing emphasis on expanding Pakistan-China economic cooperation beyond the transport and energy foundations of the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into agriculture, industry and technology.
Under its first phase launched in 2015, CPEC, a core component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, focused primarily on transportation infrastructure, energy generation and connectivity projects linking western China to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan. That phase included motorways, power plants and the development of the Gwadar Port in the country's southwest, aimed at helping Pakistan address chronic power shortages and enhance transport connectivity.
In recent years, both governments have formally moved toward a “CPEC 2.0” phase aimed at diversifying the corridor’s impact into areas such as special economic zones, innovation, digital cooperation and agriculture. Second-phase discussions have highlighted Pakistan’s goal of modernizing its agricultural sector, attracting Chinese technology and investment, and boosting export potential, with high-level talks taking place between planning officials and investors in Beijing.
Agri-sector cooperation has also seen practical collaboration, with joint initiatives examining technology transfer, export protocols and value-chain development, including partnerships in livestock, mechanization and horticulture.
Organizers say the Islamabad conference will bring together government policymakers, private sector investors, industry associations and multinational agribusiness firms from both nations. Discussions will center on investment opportunities, technology adoption, export expansion and building linkages with global buyers within the framework of Pakistan-China economic cooperation.
