ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said India missed several opportunities for normalising relations with Pakistan due to its negative attitude manifested in the recent South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa) and the Heart of Asia conferences.
In an interview with the state radio, he maintained that the neighbouring countries would not be able to break the ice unless and until India brings about a shift in its attitude and stop the persecution of defenceless people in the disputed valley of Kashmir.
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The spokesperson reiterated that the freedom movement in the Indian-held Kashmir could not be linked with terrorism since it was a struggle of locals for their right to self-determination against the Indian government.
No country ever valued India’s stance when it comes to linking the movement with terrorism, Zakaria added.
He said Pakistan was successfully shedding highlighting on the Kashmir dispute at prominent and international forums.
‘We will continue to extend moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri brethren,” the FO spokesperson clarified.
Due to Pakistan’s forceful diplomacy, he said, the United Nations (UN), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and numerous global organisations advocating for human rights also voiced their concerns over Indian atrocities in the disputed Himalayan valley.
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He added that a Geneva-based Human Rights Commission and the OIC had also demanded an independent inquiry over killings of innocent Kashmiris by Indian forces.
Zakaria was confident that soon India would be left with no option but to allow investigators to probe human rights violation in the troubled valley.
He told India to resolve Kashmir issue as per the UN resolutions and will of the people in Kashmir.
The FO spokesperson said India was also trying to cover up its persecution campaign in the held Kashmir by deteriorating border situation at the Line of Control (LOC), a military control line between Pakistan and India.
