By Muhammad Luqman
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has condemned the killing of innocent civilians in Pulwama area of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and urged India to allow Kashmiris to decide their future.
In a message on Twitter, Imran Khan said that only dialogue, not violence and killings, would resolve this conflict.
“We will raise the issue of India’s human rights violations in IOK and demand UNSC fulfill its Kashmir plebiscite commitment,” he demanded.
In a second Tweet, the prime minister said that Kashmiris must be allowed to decide their future.
His statement came a day after 14 Kashmiris were killed when Indian forces opened fire on them during a protest demonstration.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Quresh has also called upon the international community and global human rights organisations to immediately intervene and protect the innocent Kashmiris from the ongoing “killing spree” by the occupation forces in the held valley.
Addressing a press conference in the capital, Islamabad on Sunday, the foreign minister said that the surge in oppressive tactics by the occupation forces in IOK clearly manifested ‘a state-sponsored terrorism’ unleashed against the Kashmiris.
FM Qureshi expressed his optimism that the world was not so oblivious and senseless to such callous treatment of the Kashmiris and urged upon the human rights watchdogs to ”at least distinguish between an issue and the ruthless killing spree”.
The foreign minister also urged the international community to take notice of the continued unprecedented events of barbarism and inhuman oppression against the innocent Kashmiris.
He said that on Saturday some 14 Kashmiris were killed and 300 others were reportedly injured, many among them sustained critical injuries.
“It appears now the Indian forces are on the killing spree,” he said, adding they were not out to quell protestors and crowds by resorting to aerial firing but Saturday’s events showed their ‘aim to kill’.
The foreign minister said that he had also written letters to the secretary generals of United Nations (UN) and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), besides addressing the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) for bringing their attention to such grave human rights violations in IOK.
FM Qureshi said that he had also a telephonic conversation with the OIC secretary general and urged him to summon a ministerial-level meeting of the member states in Pakistan.
The OIC secretary-general responded in positive and asked him to submit a formal request in that regard, he said, adding he told the secretary-general that Pakistan was ready to host the proposed meeting and was even ready for the meeting in the Qatari capital, Doha.
