Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday welcomed the UN Security Council’s informal consultation on the Kashmir issue and said that addressing the “suffering of Kashmiri people ” was the responsibility of the world body.
Taking to Twitter, Khan said “I welcome the UNSC meeting to discuss the serious situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. It is for the first time in over 50 yrs that the world’s highest diplomatic forum has taken up this issue.”
I welcome the UNSC meeting to discuss the serious situation in Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. It is for the first time in over 50 yrs that the world’s highest diplomatic forum has taken up this issue. There are 11 UNSC resolutions reiterating the Kashmiris right to self determination.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 17, 2019
And the UNSC meeting was a reaffirmation of these resolutions. Therefore addressing the suffering of the Kashmiri people & ensuring resolution of the dispute is the responsibility of this world body.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 17, 2019
He further tweeted that there were 11 UNSC resolutions reiterating the Kashmiris’ “right to self-determination”.
“The UNSC meeting was a reaffirmation of these resolutions. Therefore addressing the suffering of the Kashmiri people and ensuring resolution of the dispute is the responsibility of this world body,” he added.
The UNSC meeting was held on Friday after China’s insistence to hold a discussion on the current situation of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir following India’s decision to revoke its special status.
The UNSC had earlier declined Pakistan’s request to hold a formal session on Kashmir with its participation.
China’s envoy to the UN Zhang Jun said UNSC members were “concerned about the human rights situation there and also it’s the general view of members that parties concerned should refrain from taking any unilateral action that might further aggravate the tension”.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi said that the voice of the Kashmiri people has been heard in the highest diplomatic forum in the world.
Lodhi further said, “We stand ready for a peaceful settlement of the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. This meeting nullifies India’s claim that Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter. The whole world is discussing….”(sic).
In a setback to Pakistan, the UNSC in its informal consultation on Kashmir acknowledged India’s measures to bring normalcy and development to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, according to India’s Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin.
“We are gratified that the UNSC in its closed consultations appreciated these efforts, acknowledged them, and indicated that this is the direction that it would like the international community to move. We are committed to gradually removing all the restrictions,” he said.