Oppressed Kashmiris braving a double lockdown: FM Qureshi

Foreign minister chairs consultative session, says pandemic is a global challenge

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday chaired a consultative meeting of former foreign secretaries at the Foreign Ministry that discussed the coronavirus pandemic and its economic implications, Indian aggression in occupied Kashmir and the regional situation.

Speaking on the occasion, Qureshi described the pandemic as a global challenge and warned that its effects on the developing economies like Pakistan were very severe. In this regard, he said, Prime Minister Imran Khan had proposed debt relief initiative.

He said 10 months had passed since eight million unarmed citizens of occupied Jammu and Kashmir faced Indian tyranny in the name of curfew. The oppressed Kashmiris were braving a double lockdown after the Covid epidemic, he added.



“Ceasefire violations by India on the Line of Control (LoC) have continued unabated. Innocent civilians are being targeted by India deliberately. India wants to disrupt peace and order in the region,” the minister told the consultative session.

He pointed out that moves to alter the demography of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir by amending the domicile laws were a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and international laws.

“The international community should take immediate notice of India’s aggressive behaviour,” Qureshi said.

The foreign minister briefed the former foreign secretaries on the contents of his recent letters to the UN secretary general and the Security Council president. “I have informed them of India’s intentions,” he added.