Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Convener of All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) chapter, Mahmood Ahmed Saghar, while urging the G20 countries to take effective notice of India’s plan to hold next G20 summit in occupied Jammu and Kashmir has said that contentious move was a ploy aimed at deflecting the world’s attention away from the Kashmir dispute.

According to Kashmir Media Service, In a letter addressed to the heads of G20 nations, the APHC-AJK Convener while highlighting the disputed nature of Kashmir said that the Indian plan to hold such a high-profile meeting in the UN-recognized disputed territory is tantamount to undermining the credibility of the United Nations.

Referring to the grim political and human rights situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Saghar wrote that the dire situation in the region is not suitable for holding such a high-profile meeting.

He maintained that the Indian government’s proposed plan was a deliberate attempt aimed at creating a smokescreen to hide ground realities in Kashmir and hoodwinking the international community.

Urging the G20 nations not to become a part of any such exercise, the APHC-AJK Convener stated that by bringing heads of G20 countries in Kashmir, Indian government wanted to lend legitimacy to its actions it had taken since 5th August 2019.

He hailed the G20 countries for their upright stance on people’s right to self-determination. “The people of the occupied Kashmir hope that the G20 countries that have been championing human rights and civil liberties would take into account the disputed nature of Kashmir and influence the government of India to change the venue of the summit,” he added.

Mahmood Ahmad Saghar hoped that the G20 countries which had voted in favor of the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir would not get swayed by the Indian propaganda and instead ask New Delhi to resolve the lingering dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions. Meanwhile, the APHC-AJK Convener in a statement thanked the Chines government for taking an upright stance on the issue.

He said China has always supported the Kashmiris’ legitimate struggle for right to self-determination. He expressed the optimism that the other members of G20 would also take a bold stance on the issue.