Shah Mehmood Qureshi to depart for China on diplomatic mission

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will depart for China on a diplomatic mission along with foreign secretary Sohail Mehmood and senior officials of the Foreign Ministry, ARY News reported on Thursday.

During his visit, the foreign minister will hold meetings with the top leadership of China.

The Chinese leadership will be apprised of the illegal move of the Indian government by revoking the special status of occupied Kashmir and grave violations of human rights in the valley.

Earlier in the day, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he is leaving for China late in the night to hold consultations with the Chinese leadership on developments arising out of India’s move to revoke special status of occupied Kashmir.

Speaking during ARY News talk show, he said the government conveyed its concerns over the Indian decision to various countries across the globe and invited the Diplomatic Corps to the Foreign Office to keep them abreast of the situation in the region as well.

FM Qureshi expressed the fear that India can stage a Pulwama-like incident to divert world attention from the situation in Kashmir.

He said India has deployed an unprecedented number of 900,000 troops in the occupied territory.

Earlier, the foreign minister briefed members of the Diplomatic Corps on India’s decision to end the special constitutional status of the disputed territory of held Kashmir.

He urged the diplomats to stop India from committing blatant violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people.

It must be noted that on August 5, India’s BJP government moved a bill in the upper house of the parliament (Rajaya Sabha) to remove Article 370 from the Indian constitution amid opposition members’ protest.

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.