FO says India failed to break Kashmiris’ determination n Indus Water Treaty serves both Pakistan, India
n Islamophobia issue must be addressed n Azerbaijan minister to visit Pakistan from 17-19 July.

 

ISLAMABAD  -  Pakistan yesterday urged Afghanistan not to allow its soil to be used against Pakistan.

Islamabad also restat­ed its commitment to engage with Afghani­stan on all areas of co­operation and shared concerns, including ad­dressing the issue of terrorism threats from across the border.

Speaking at a weekly news briefing here, For­eign Office spokesper­son Mumtaz Zahra Ba­loch called on Afghan authorities to fulfil their promises of not allowing their territory to be used for terrorism against Pakistan.

She emphasised that it is the responsibili­ty of Afghanistan to en­sure their land is not used against Pakistan, and Afghan authorities have accepted this re­sponsibility on multiple occasions.

Regarding the situa­tion in the Indian ille­gally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch highlight­ed that since August 5, 2019, over 780 Kashmi­ri individuals have been killed by Indian occupa­tion forces.

She mentioned that India’s prolonged re­pression over the past seven decades has been unsuccessful in break­ing the determination of the Kashmiri people to achieve their right to self-determination.

“Pakistan will contin­ue to support the Kash­miri people in their just struggle against Indian oppression until their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the UN Security Council Resolutions, is realized,” she added.

She said that Pakistani nation has observed the 92nd Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir (Kashmir Mar­tyrs Day) to commemorate the martyrdom of 22 Kashmiris, who sacrificed their lives while brav­ing the brute and indiscriminate firing of Dogra forces in 1931.

On a pattern similar to the Dogra forces, over the last seventy years, the Indian Occupation Forces have killed hundreds of Kashmiris simply for de­manding their rights. Since 5 August 2019, over 780 Kashmiris have been martyred by the Indian Occu­pation Forces in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), she said.

The spokesperson said India’s unabated repres­sion over the past seven decades has “failed to break the will of the Kashmiri people who have continued to strive for their right to self-determination.”

In response to a question, the spokesperson em­phasized the importance of the Indus Water Treaty as a document that has served both Pakistan and India.

“Pakistan remains committed to its full imple­mentation and hopes that India will also remain committed to it,” Baloch said.

The spokesperson also highlighted that Pakistan recently presented a historic resolution at the UN Human Rights Council on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The resolution condemns the advocacy of reli­gious hatred, including recent acts of desecration of the Holy Quran, and emphasizes the need to hold the perpetrators accountable.

She said Pakistan had expressed disappointment that the resolution faced opposition based on false grounds, disrupting the council’s consensus.

“Pakistan believes that the Human Rights Coun­cil should unite in addressing the issue of Islam­ophobia, which affects the rights, freedoms, dignity, and identity of over two billion Muslims. Pakistan will continue to raise global awareness about Is­lamophobia, xenophobia, and promote interfaith dialogue, harmony, and peaceful coexistence,” the spokesperson said.

Furthermore, she said, Azerbaijan’s Minister for Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabi­yev, will be visiting Pakistan to explore bilateral co­operation in the areas of connectivity and informa­tion technology.

The visit follows the recent visit of the Prime Min­ister of Pakistan to Baku. Minister Nabiyev is sched­uled to meet with relevant Pakistani counterparts in the Ministries of Information Technology, Avia­tion, Communications, Railways, and Maritime Af­fairs, she explained.

She said Pakistan will continue to take lead in raising global awareness about the insidious phe­nomena of Islamophobia and xenophobia and fos­tering inter-faith dialogue, harmony and peace­ful coexistence. The spokesperson said the 12th (Special) meeting of the Joint Cooperation Com­mittee (JCC) of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was held on 11 July 2023 in Beijing.

Federal Minister for Planning, Ahsan Iqbal and Vice Chairman, National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) of China, Cong Liang co-chaired the meeting.

“The JCC reviewed the progress made under the Joint Working Groups on Energy, Transport Infra­structure, and Gwadar Port and their future plans of action. It highlighted the significance of the key projects for energy and infrastructure develop­ment and agreed to strengthen cooperation for smooth development of future renewable energy projects. The two sides will continue to promote major transport infrastructure projects including ML-1 and KCR. They will also enhance cooperation in science & technology, and innovation in bolster­ing high-quality CPEC; and further B2B collabora­tion for the next phase of industrial cooperation,” she elaborated.

The spokesperson said that on 10 July 2023, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted Pakistan’s report under its Universal Periodic Re­view (UPR) process.

The unanimous adoption of Pakistan’s report of the Council concludes Pakistan’s 4th UPR review which began earlier this year.

She announced that Azerbaijan’s Minister for Dig­ital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev will undertake a visit to Pakistan from 17-19 July. This visit is taking place in follow up to Prime Min­ister’s recent visit to Baku.

“Minister Nabiyev will meet with Pakistani counterparts in the Ministries of Information Technology, Aviation, Communications, Railways, and Maritime Affairs and explore bilateral coop­eration in areas of connectivity and information technology,” Baloch said.