National News

PM to apprise UN Secretary General of plight of Kashmiris: Fatemi

ZURICH, MILLAT+(APP): Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi
Tuesday said Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif would highlight the critical situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) during his
upcoming meeting with the United Nations (UN) Secretary General on the sidelines of World Economic Forum (WEF).
“If the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir is not addressed according
to the wishes of its people, it would have far-reaching consequences,” he told APP here, when asked about the meetings of the prime minister on the sidelines of the 47th WEF at Davos.
Fatemi termed Kashmir a “flash point” which he said could turn
into a very serious situation.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to meet Secretary
General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of WEF on January 19.
The prime minister who has been forcefully raising the Kashmir
issue at all international fora, including the UN General Assembly,
would seek UN’s role in addressing the long-standing dispute.
Pakistan earlier this month asked the United Nations to
restrain India from interfering and from activities aimed at
destabilizing Pakistan.
Tariq Fatemi said the prime minister during the meeting would
highlight the deployment of over 700,000 troops in the IOK, use of pellet guns and rejection of a fact-finding mission by India.
He regretted the “ethnic cleansing and genocide” of Kashmiris
by the Indian occupational forces and said even the independent
human rights groups in Kashmir were describing the movement as
“indigenous and home grown” and without any foreign influence.
He said the movement gained momentum after the death of
Burhanuddin Wani.
Fatemi said the prime minister would also take up the matter
relating to incidents of firing on unarmed civilians, ongoing curfew
and demonstrations of the Kashmiri youth against the atrocities.
He said Pakistan desired relations with all countries on the
basis of honour and dignity.
He said the prime minister would categorically inform the UN
Secretary General that India was responsible for the tension in the
region.
Fatemi pointed out the Indian belligerent attitude, the talk of
surgical strikes, violation of ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC)
and firing at the Working Boundary.
He said the prime minister’s participation in the annual
meeting of the WEF was aimed at sharing with the world leaders and heads of leading business houses the analysis of leading global financial institutions about the country’s bright economic prospects.
He said the success of prime minister’s macro and micro
economic policies were now showing results as the economy had
experienced a turned around.
He also pointed out the successful tackling of challenges of extremism
and terrorism, weak economy and loadshedding.
He said Pakistan’s success story was “credible and factual”
and its role in the region critical was significant.
He said the gathering of international political and business
leaders also afforded an opportunity for unstructured dialogue
helpful for greater interaction, clearing misperceptions and
building a positive image of the country.