United Nations: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has raised the Kashmir issue with almost every world leader he has held talks with on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
Sharif raised the issue with the leaders of the US, the UK, Japan and Turkey and sought their intervention to resolve the matter. He met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan here yesterday.
"PM Sharif briefed Japanese PM about the grave turn that the situation in occupied Kashmir is taking. Reminded him about UNSC resolutions," Pakistan's envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi tweeted.
"PM Nawaz Sharif also apprised his Japanese counterpart of the human rights violations being committed by Indian occupation forces in Kashmir," Lodhi said in another tweet.
Erdogan and Sharif "agreed that OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) should send a fact-finding mission" to Kashmir, Lodhi said.
On Monday, Sharif held bilateral talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
According to a readout of his meeting with Kerry by the Pakistan mission, Sharif told him that more than 107 people have been "assassinated" in Kashmir, thousands injured and "worst human rights violations are being committed at the state level."
"I still remember President (Bill) Clinton's promise that US will play its role to help out in resolving bilateral disputes and issues between Pakistan and India," Sharif said, according to the release.
"I expect US Administration and Secretary Kerry to use his good offices to help in resolving bilateral issues between Pakistan and India," he added.
In his meeting with May, Sharif urged her to play her role in convincing India to stop the use of force against the people in the region.
He said Pakistan's support for Kashmiri people "in their legitimate struggle for self determination and its commitment to the Kashmir cause are non-negotiable."
However, Sharif's repeated calls to the UN to help resolve the Kashmir dispute appeared to be gaining no traction as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made no reference to Kashmir in his final speech to the UNGA as the UN chief.
At the opening session of the General Debate on Tuesday, Ban touched upon a cross-section of global issues including the Syrian crisis, the Palestinian issue, the refugee and migrant movements and tension in the Korean Peninsula.
Sharif Consults Army Chief Before UN Address
Ahead of his address at the UN General Assembly, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke over the phone with Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on the tensions with India over Jammu and Kashmir.
"The Prime Minister and General Raheel Sharif had a telephonic conversation in which they discussed … the prevailing regional situation," a PM Office spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister and the Army Chief are believed to have discussed proposals that the former intends to make during his speech for de-escalating the situation and moving to a dialogue on the Kashmir dispute.
At the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Sharif is likely to focus on the Kashmir issue and Pakistan's tense relations with India.
This was the first conversation between the two on Tuesday night since Sunday's Uri military camp attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 20 soldiers were killed, which India has blamed on terrorists from Pakistan.
The talk comes as Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry raised his country's concerns over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir with EU Secretary General for External Affairs Helga Schmid. The two met on the sidelines of the 71st UNGA session in New York.
The development also comes as two US lawmakers moved a bill in Congress seeking designation of Pakistan as a 'state sponsor of terrorism' on Wednesday.
Aziz Briefs Ms Of Japan, Austria On Kashmir
Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has briefed foreign ministers of Japan, Austria and Switzerland about "human rights violation" in Kashmir.
Aziz, on the sidelines of 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, separately met with the foreign minsters — Fumio Kishida of Japan, Sebastian Kurz of Austria and Didier Burkhalter of Switzerland, Pakistan's Foreign Office said.
Highlighting "human rights abuse perpetrated by Indian security forces with impunity" in Kashmir, he stated that settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions, was essential for peace and stability of South Asia, the Foreign Office said.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
