Pakistan says onus on India to normalise ties

Pakistan said on Thursday that the onus was on India to create an enabling environment for normalisation of relationship by reversing its ‘illegal and unilateral’ actions, ending ‘state terrorism’ against the Kashmiri people and agreeing to resolve the dispute in accordance with international legitimacy.

The statement by the foreign ministry here came in response to remarks by Indian Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan in Rajya Sabha. In his statement, the deputy foreign minister said India wished to have good neighbourly relations with Pakistan but for that Islamabad had to create “a conducive atmosphere by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible action against terrorism”.

But Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement that Pakistan rejected baseless assertions made by the Indian state minister.

“The onus is on India to create an enabling environment by rescinding its illegal and unilateral actions, ending its state terrorism against the Kashmiri people, and agreeing to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with international legitimacy,” the spokesperson asserted.

With its gross and systematic human rights violations and state terrorism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), India cannot mislead the world community by levelling unfounded allegations against others, he added.

“It is India that has vitiated the atmosphere with its illegal and unilateral measures of 5 August 2019 in IIOJK and with continuous belligerent rhetoric and aggressive actions,” the spokesperson said.

Pakistan called upon the Indian government to end its illegal and forcible occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir and comply with its international obligations by giving Kashmiris their inalienable right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

UN committee re-election

Meanwhile, Pakistan was re-elected to the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) by securing 52 votes from the 54-member United Nations Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc). This overwhelming support constitutes 96% of the total tally, said a separate statement issue by the Foreign Office.

“Pakistan’s re-election to the CPC is a resounding validation of Pakistan’s meaningful engagement within the United Nations as well as its contributions in the areas of international economic cooperation and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” read the official handout.

The CPC functions as the main subsidiary organ of Ecosoc and the UN General Assembly for planning, programming and coordination of the work of the United Nations. The CPC is also charged with reviewing UN programmes and making recommendations to the secretary general on translating legislative mandates into programmatic activities.

“Pakistan’s presence at the committee will help us contribute to the effective formulation of the programmes and budget planning of the United Nations,” the statement said.

Pakistan has been a member of this 34-member committee since 1973, and with its latest re-election, the country would serve another three-year term from 2021 to 2023.

At present, Pakistan is also serving as the president of Ecosoc, which is one of the principal organs of the UN and the central platform for economic and social development, forging consensus and coordinating efforts to achieve internationally agreed development goals.

“We are hopeful that with our re-election to the CPC, Pakistan will continue to work hand-in-hand with the international community for promoting the shared goals of international cooperation and economic and social development, as enshrined in the UN Charter,” the Foreign Office statement read.