Beijing updated on Indian atrocities in Kashmir

Foreign secretary also discusses with Chinese counterpart bilateral ties

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to expose Indian atrocities in Kashmir, Pakistan continued its diplomatic campaign and took the matter up with China.

Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry on Tuesday apprised his Chinese counterpart of the grave humanitarian situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir and the ongoing human rights violations.

The foreign secretary expressed hope that the international community would play its role in urging India to put an end to blatant human rights violations in the valley.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Saturday slammed India over human rights violations in Kashmir stating that the situation in the valley was not an internal issue of India, and greater effort should be made for exposing human rights violations there.

Earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appreciated Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute and offered his good offices to facilitate dialogue between the two countries.

At least 66 people have died in clashes between protesters and police since July 8, sparked by the murder of a poplar Kashmiri separatist leader. More than 2,000 people have been arrested for participating in protests.

His statement came at the end of the seventh round of strategic dialogue between Pakistan and China held in Beijing.

Both sides held detailed discussions on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations between Pakistan and China, a foreign office statement said.

“These included: CPEC, economic cooperation, defence, counter-terrorism, SCO, culture, education and people-to-people contacts. The two sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation in all areas for the mutual benefit of the two countries,” it added.

The foreign secretary and his Chinese counterpart also exchanged views on the regional situation including India, Afghanistan and South China Sea. Cooperation in multilateral forums including UN was also discussed. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2016.