Indian oppression cannot deter Kashmiris from demanding freedom: Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi severely criticized the Indian government’s move to strip Occupied Kashmir off the special status under its constitution.

Speaking to ARY News on Monday, the minister said: “If India thinks that Kashmir issue can be resolved by a constitutional amendment then they are in fool’s paradise.”

There was no ethical or legal basis for altering the constitution, Qureshi said, highlighting that India has violated its commitments made in the United Nations with this move.

“Today, India has given an international significance to the Kashmir dispute.”

He said people of the occupied Kashmir openly opposed the move of the BJP government and “India cannot change the public opinion by amending the constitution.”

Pakistan wishes to peacefully solve this issue, the minister asserted.

As per Qureshi, Pakistan wanted to mutually settle this matter on the table, however, India further entangled the Kashmir issue today.

“The right to self-determination of Kashmiris can not be changed by any [constitutional] amendment,” he vehemently mentioned.

Earlier today, India’s BJP government moved a bill in the upper house of the parliament (Rajaya Sabha) to remove Article 370 from the Indian constitution about the special status of Kashmir.

Home Minister Amit Shah tabled the bill in the parliament amid opposition members’ protest. Later the bill was signed by Indian president.