FM Qureshi urges OIC to pay immediate attention to Kashmir issue

JEDDAH: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday India’s abolishing special status for held Kashmir is a blatant violation of international laws and tantamount to playing havoc with regional peace.

He was addressing an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group in Jeddah called to discuss developments in the wake of India’s move to revoke Article 370 of its constitution that stripped the held territory of its special rights.

“Abolishing Article 370 and 35-A by Indian parliament is a flagrant violation of international laws,” Qureshi said.

He lamented that thousands of Kashmiris had been martyred by Indian forces in the occupied territory since 1989.

The foreign minister said the deployment of more troops, closure of educational institutions and imposition of emergency like measures by India in held Kashmir, which is the most militarised region in the world, lay bare malevolent intentions of India.

He said he had brought the attention of the United Nations Security Council and General Secretary OIC to the apprehensions of Pakistan regarding the measures and steps taken by India. He added India’s steps can endanger peace in South Asia.

FM Qureshi urged the participants of the meeting to pay immediate attention towards this issue.

The delegations from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and other member countries participated in the meeting.

The Pakistani delegation was led by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.