Lodhi presents Qureshi's letter to UNSC urging meeting on IoK

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi on Tuesday presented a letter from Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to the Security Council asking for an urgent meeting on the grim situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Ambassador Lodhi presented the letter to UN Security Council President and Polish Ambassador Joanna Wronecka.

The Council president will hold consultations with the UNSC members and fix a date for the meeting.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Lodhi began meeting the Council members again to update them on the situation in occupied Kashmir.

In another development, Poland’s Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz, who is also in New York, said he hopes India and Pakistan can work out a “mutually beneficially solution” after New Delhi revoked the special status of occupied Kashmir.

Czaputowicz was in New York to address a Security Council briefing Tuesday on ”International humanitarian law – Seventieth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions: upholding humanity in modern conflict.”

Later, Czaputowicz addressed reporters at the UN Security Council stakeout where he was asked that Pakistan has demanded the Security Council be briefed on the situation in occupied Kashmir following India’s decision to scrap its special status and whether Poland supports such a request as the Council President.

Czaputowicz said he has had a “phone conversation” with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the last few days.

“We expressed concerns over current tensions between India and Pakistan resulting from the proposed changed status of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Poland believes that the dispute can only be resolved by peaceful means and here “we fully support the reaction of the European Union and the statement issued by Federica Mogherini.”

“We are in favour of a dialogue between Pakistan and India to sort out the differences.”

Czaputowicz stressed that as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, “Poland stands ready, if needed, to engage” in preventing actions in the security situation.

He said he was “just informed” Tuesday morning that the Security Council received the letter from the Ambassador of Pakistan.

“I think that the Security Council will discuss that issue and take a proper decision.”