PM rebuffs invitation to attend UN event over silence on Kashmir

World body is to organise a function on Sept 21 for promoting peace

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to decline a United Nations’ request to attend a high-profile event in the wake of the world body’s continuing silence on atrocities by Indian forces in the Occupied Kashmir.

The UN Mission in Pakistan, scheduled to organise an event on September 21 for “promoting peace”, had requested the PM to preside over the conclave as its chief guest, sources in the PM Office said.

Initially, the sources said, the PM Office tentatively conveyed confirmation to the UN Mission in Pakistan for the event to be held at Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) building in the federal capital.



Subsequently, the PM decided not to attend the event on account of the world body’s silence on the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb was invited to attend the event as Guest of Honour, the sources said.

Sources inside the PM Office said it was decided that the PM would not attend the event and the government’s side would be represented by the state minister of information, who would highlight the glaring human rights violations and focus on various aspects of the Kashmir issue.

“This is necessary. They (the UN) keep talking about peace. But they do nothing to overcome the plight of Kashmiris and stop state-sponsored terrorism in the Valley,” the insider said.

“This behaviour is duplicitous. How is it even possible to strive for peace in the region without acknowledging (Indian) terrorism in Kashmir?”

The Express Tribune called PM’s Spokesman Musadik Malik for his comments on the issue but he did not respond.



Chairman of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir Maulana Fazlur Rehman claimed that he recommended to the PM to adopt a tough stance in this regard.

“This is an effective way to highlight the Kashmir issue at world forums. It is a shame that the Indian PM, despite unleashing terrorism upon innocent Kashmiris, managed to win Washington’s favours on Kashmir … (The US must remember) Modi himself is a terrorist who has blood of thousands of Muslims on his hands,” he told The Express Tribune.

Senior PML-N AJK leader Sardar Sikander Hayat Khan agreed that the issue of the UN’s silence over the Kashmir issue remained high on agenda during recent meetings between the PML-N’s central and AJK leaderships.

“We remain committed to the idea that there must be no compromise on the issue. Skipping an event is not such a big deal,” he said.