— US Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry says meaningful dialogue only solution to the Afghan conflict
NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Maleeha Lodhi on Friday said Pakistan was the voice of the people of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) in the United Nations.
Speaking at a gathering of Kashmiri and Pakistani diaspora in New York the ambassador said Pakistan was fighting the case of Kashmiri people at the international forum on the basis of irrefutable moral and legal grounds.
She said that Pakistan’s Mission to the United Nations serves as the voice of the Kashmiri people at the world body.
She said that she also told him about the escalation of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC), which together pose a ‘serious threat to international peace and security.’
The Pakistani envoy said she reminded the UN of its responsibility to address the grave situation in Kashmir that has long been on the UN agenda but Security Council resolutions and promises to the Kashmiri people remain unimplemented.
“The Kashmir issue is very much alive at the UN and will remain alive until it is resolved according to the wishes of the people of Kashmir and UN Resolutions,” she added.
Ambassador Lodhi said that the atrocities by occupying forces in Jammu and Kashmir have crossed all limits of barbarism while freedom movement of the Kashmiri people has entered a new phase.
“This is manifested in the unprecedented resistance being offered against the Indian occupying forces.”
In their latest wave of oppression, Indian occupation forces martyred more than 20 innocent Kashmiris in a brutal crackdown on April 1. Indian soldiers also opened fire on funeral processions and peaceful protests, injuring over 200 Kashmiris.
‘MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE ONLY SOLUTION’:
Pakistan Ambassador to the US Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said on Friday Pakistan stands firmly by its commitment not to allow its soil to be used against any country and expect others to reciprocate.
In his address on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day in Washington, he stressed that the Afghan issue does not have a military solution. He said that Taliban and Haqqani network need to part of the Afghan politics.
He urged the US and the global fraternity, to raise their voices against Indian brutality in Kashmir.
Chaudhry said that the grave situation in IoK and escalation on Line of Control pose a serious threat to international peace. He also said that Pakistan’s relations with the US should be based on mutual respect, noting that any kind of concerns and suspicions may be detrimental to the bilateral relations.
He said apprehensions and concerns in the linkage between Washington and Islamabad would be counterproductive to the ongoing anti-terrorism operation and significantly impact the Afghan peace and stability process.
