Parliament’s joint session unanimously passes resolution against India's illegal move on IoK

ISLAMABAD: The Joint Session of the Parliament has unanimously passed a resolution condemning the illegal, unilateral move of India by revoking special status of occupied Kashmir (IoK), ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Kashmir Committee Chairman Syed Fakhar Imam presented a resolution in the Parliament which was passed unanimously.

A resolution also condemned the deployment of additional troops in Indian occupied Kashmir,  Indian firing, shelling on the Line of Control (LoC) and use of cluster bombs by Indian forces in Kashmir.

The resolution stressed that Indian Occupied Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council and categorically stated that these illegal measures cannot change the disputed status of IoK.

The resolution opposed Indian plans to alter the demographic composition of occupied Kashmir.

Read More: Illegal annexation of IOK: Pakistan downgrades diplomatic ties, suspends trade with India

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi speaking on the floor of the house said that India violated Simla agreement by revoking special status of occupied Kashmir.

Addressing the joint session of the parliament in Islamabad, Qureshi said that the government decided to downgrade its diplomatic relations with New Delhi and suspend all bilateral trade.

In response to India’s recent actions in occupied Kashmir, Qureshi said that Indian’s illegal move to scrap Article 370 highlighted Kashmir issue across the globe.

He said that New Delhi’s August-5 move turned Kashmir’s matter into an international issue and added that India had been making diplomatic efforts to conceal the Kashmir’s conflict.

Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad predicted that now India can attack Azad Kashmir, saying “I can foresee a war on borders within three to six months.”

Addressing a joint session of the parliament on Wednesday, Rasheed said 240 million Muslims in India are looking towards Pakistan.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Chief Siraj ul Haq while paying homage to the Kashmiris over their continuous struggle for the right to self-determination, said all the political parties are on the same page on the Kashmir issue.

Addressing the joint sitting of the parliament called to discuss Kashmir issue after India scrapped IoK’s special status, he said: “Move forward Prime Minister Sahab, we are with you.”

Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry called for the suspension of all diplomatic ties with India after the neighbouring country illegally annexed Occupied Kashmir through a presidential decree.

It must be noted that India’s BJP government moved a bill in the upper house of the parliament (Rajaya Sabha) to remove Article 370 from the Indian constitution on Monday. It was later signed by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, stripping the state of Kashmir off its special status and turning it a Union Territory with the legislature.