Daily Times

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has reiterated that Kashmir dispute cannot be solved by the use of force.

In a statement in Islamabad on Friday, he said strategy of India, which has been using force against the Kashmiri people for the past seven decades, has totally failed.

The Foreign Minister said India tried to use force to gag the voice of the Kashmiris through draconian laws and restrictions. There is no precedent of the atrocities that have been committed in Indian illegally occupied Kashmir since August 5 last year.

He made it clear that India cannot succeed in resolving the dispute by these atrocities.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the Kashmiri people bury their martyrs in Pakistan’s national flag, which proves that they have not accepted Indian steps.

The Foreign Minister recalled his recent bilateral meetings on sidelines of the ECO meeting, during which he drew attention of the world towards unresolved Kashmir issue.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan will talk on Kashmir issue during his address in upcoming session of UN General Assembly.

The Foreign Minister termed success on Reko Diq issue as a big success and major relief to country’s economy, which was under pressure due to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, a senior Indian diplomat was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday to register Pakistan’s strong protest over ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on September 17.

Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Hotspring and Jandrot Sectors of the LoC, 15-year-old Irum Riaz s/o Muhammad Riaz, 26-year-old Nusrat Kausar w/o Abdul Rauf and 16-year-old Mukheel s/o Muhammad Hussain, residents of Andrala Nar Village, sustained serious injuries, a Foreign Office statement said issued here.

Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts were in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct. “These egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security,” the FO statement said.

It was added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB.

The Indian side was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.

The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons. This year, India has committed 2280 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 18 martyrdom and serious injuries to 183 innocent civilians.