US President-elect Biden might help resolve Kashmir dispute, Senate told

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate was informed on Tuesday that US President-elect Joe Biden was well aware of the situation in the South Asian region and the government hoped he would raise his voice against the human rights violation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) during his presidency.

Speaking in the Senate, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan had advocated the Kashmir cause at international fora effectively and would continue to do so.

Qureshi expressed the hope that Biden would raise his voice against the human rights violation in IIOJK when he comes into power. “Joe Biden is well aware of the region and can help resolve the Kashmir issue,” he told the upper house of parliament.

He said that despite political differences among the parties, Pakistan was unanimous in its call for the rights of Kashmiris. “We want to send a message to the world that Pakistan will not let the Kashmiris being oppressed,” he said.

“We have a unified approach on this [Kashmir] issue and we send a loud and clear message to the international community and to our Kashmiri brethren that on the issue of self-determination, the people of Pakistan stood with you, standing with you and we will continue to stand with you.”

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Qureshi said that India had forcibly made this region the most-militarised zone in the world but despite their sufferings, the Kashmiris remained steadfast against the Indian forces. “Despite India’s use of force, Kashmiris continue to raise their voices,” he said.

The international media in their articles had also highlighted the plight of Kashmiri people and human rights violation by the Indian forces in IIOJK, he said, adding that for the first time, regular hearings were held on the issue in European Union and US Congress and the UN Security Council.

“In 72 years, the Kashmiris have never been angrier with India than they are now,” Qureshi maintained. He also apprised the house that Pakistan had raised the issue of Kashmiri human rights activist and political leader Asiya Andrabi’s husband’s arrest with the United Nations.

The minister also thanked the Chinese government for supporting Pakistan on the Kashmir issue at all international fora. He also thanked the overseas Pakistani for staging protest for the rights of the Kashmiri people in the capitals of US and European countries.

Regarding suggestion from Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Senator Sirajul Haq about holding an international conference on Kashmir, the foreign minister said: “It was a good idea and we have to devise a joint action plan.”

He said that he had written letters to the Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto to come to Foreign Office for briefing on the Kashmir issue. “Let us join hands on this issue, which is vital for Pakistan, it is vital for our economic wellbeing,” he said.

Taking jibe at the opposition, the foreign minister stated that the previous governments did not pursue the Kashmir issue like they should have. “Why the previous governments did not raise the issue of Kashmir,” he asked.

Referring to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the minister said no other parliamentarian had been given the opportunity to advocate for Kashmir as long as Maulana has. “Maybe Maulana [Fazl] was unable to pay heed to the issue as he should have.”

However, Opposition Leader Raja Zafarul Haq of the PML-N, contested the views of the foreign minister. “The world knows who raised the Kashmir issue,” he said. “It not yet time to give credit to anyone for raising the issue,” he added.

He added that the responsibility to highlight Kashmir’s issue did not just fall on the foreign minister, but the entire cabinet. “The role of Pakistan in the whole world is before everyone,” Haq said. “We salute the courage of Kashmiris, who stood up against oppression and barbarism [of India].”

Regarding the water issue, foreign minister Qureshi said: “We were aware of the fact that this regime in India was trying to undermine the Indus Water Treaty which was guaranteed by the World Bank. He has met with the President of the WB on the issue twice, he added.

(With input from APP)