Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi lost his cool when asked to name the 58 countries that Prime Minister Imran Khan had commended for supporting Islamabad’s stance on the Kashmir issue at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC).
During a talk show on Pakistan TV channel Express News, Qureshi snapped at host asking, “On whose agenda are you working?”
“Are you going to tell me or decide which countries have or have not supported Pakistan at the UN?… You may write whatever you want!”
On being again pressed for endorsing Imran Khan’s comment on his own Twitter handle, Qureshi said, “No! No! Show me the tweet I have written, not what Prime Minister Khan has written. You have said my tweet… show that to me. I want my tweet.”
After showing him his tweet, Qureshi said he found nothing wrong in it.
“I stand by what I have said. What is so surprising in this….whose agenda are you following?”
Earlier in September, Imran Khan had tweeted that 58 countries joined Pakistan against India’s decision to revoke Article 370 at the UNHRC.
I commend the 58 countries that joined Pakistan in Human Rights Council on 10 Sept reinforcing demands of int community for India to stop use of force, lift siege, remove other restrictions, respect & protect Kashmiris’ rights & resolve Kashmir dispute through UNSC resolutions.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 12, 2019
However, there are only 47 members in the UNHRC.
Khan’s tweet was endorsed by the country’s foreign minister as well on a couple of occasions.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi has come under severe criticism for peddling lies about the support at the UNHRC of 58 nations on the issue of Kashmir.
At the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on September 10, Pakistan tried to present a false narrative on Kashmir with its Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi stating that the Valley had been converted into the “largest prison” with people being denied access to basic amenities following the abrogation of Article 370.
Pakistan had also asked the UNHRC to conduct an international investigation, urging the world rights body not to remain “indifferent” over India’s move on Kashmir.
However, the Indian delegation led by Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Vijay Thakur Singh, effectively rebutted Pakistan’s allegations on human rights violations in Kashmir.
India said there was a need to call out those who are “misusing” the UNHRC platform for “malicious political agenda under the garb of human rights.”
Pakistan had knocked the doors of the UNHRC after it failed to gain global attention on Kashmir issue at the UNSC.
However, its attempts to internationalise the Kashmir issue suffered a major setback as Pakistan could not file any resolution on the issue at the rights body council session by September 19.
Pakistan has been desperate since the Centre decided to abolish the special status of Jammu and Kashmir granted under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the state on August 5.