LONDON: Former Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevick called on Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday evening and discussed Kashmir issue.
According to a statement issued by the Pakistan High Commission London on Tuesday, FM Qureshi said that the prevalent human rights situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and Indian atrocities against helpless Kashmiris were finally being acknowledged by the international community.
The foreign minister appreciated the participation of the former Norwegian premier in the conference condemning Indian atrocities and expressed the hope that participation of prominent international figures would be instrumental in drawing further international attention to the grave human rights situation in IOK and towards the resolution of this longstanding dispute.
The foreign minister added that 2018 was one of the deadliest years in the history of IOK in which Indian occupation forces killed over 450 innocent Kashmiris and blinded and maimed scores of men, women and children using pellets guns.
Bondevik thanked the foreign minister for his views and welcomed the initiatives such as the International Conference on Jammu and Kashmir for which he was in London. He emphasised that the Kashmir dispute should be high on the agenda of the international community and the resolution of this dispute should be a priority for all. He reiterated that there was no military solution to this dispute and that peaceful and meaningful dialogue was the only way forward.
Bondevik reaffirmed his commitment to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiris.