Pakistan condemns torture on journalists covering Pakistan Day celebrations in Kashmir
- By Web Desk -
- Mar 24, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria on Friday condemned Indian troops’ torturing of seven journalists covering Pakistan Day celebrations in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.
He said celebration of Pakistan Day is a clear verdict of the people of the Occupied Kashmir that they want to join Pakistan. He also expressed concerns over the arrest of 131 youth and 30 Hurriyet leaders last week.
“Indian authorities also detained Hurriyet leaders barring them from attending Pakistan Day function at country’s high commission in New Delhi,” he said this at the weekly news briefing in Islamabad.
The foreign office spokesman said that human rights situation has been aggravated in the Occupied Kashmir.
He said Indian targeting civilians in Azad Kashmir and heightening tension on the Line of Control has threatened peace in the region.
To a query on massive purchase of weapons by India, Nafees Zakaria said Pakistan does not want arms race in the region and desires to solve issues with Indian through dialogue.
Read More: ‘If plebiscite can be held in Scotland, why not in held Kashmir’
He urged the international community to influence India to respond positively to Pakistan’s initiatives for peace.
The spokesman said not mentioning of human rights violations in the Occupied Kashmir has put a question mark on the credibility of the US human rights report.
To a query, he said Pakistan opened its border with Afghanistan as a goodwill gesture and it hoped the Afghan government would remove root cause that led to closure of the border.
He said Pakistan will attend a conference regarding Afghanistan to be held in Moscow, but it will be decided later that at which level Pakistan will participate in the moot.
To another question, Nafees Zakaria said efforts are afoot to get Ijaz Hussain Jamali released from kidnappers in South Sudan.