Pakistan to approach G20 against India’s plan

India set to assume presidency of G20 this year; planning to host G20 events in the disputed territory

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan will reach out to the G20 countries particularly with which it has close ties in an attempt to stop India from holding any event or meeting of the grouping in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

India is planning to host certain events of G20 in the disputed territory when it will host the summit meeting next year.

India is set to assume the presidency of G20 in December this year.

India is part of the G20 grouping comprising major economies of the world including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

While Pakistan has already rejected the Indian move, official sources told The Express Tribune on Sunday that Islamabad would reach out to G20 countries on the issue.

Sources said Pakistan would particularly approach countries like China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to convey them their concerns.

Islamabad would also speak to the US, the UK and other G20 members in order to counter Indian plans.
Sources said India through hosting such events in the disputed territory is trying to portray normalcy in the disputed territory.

The ground situation, however, is quite contrary to the Indian claims as authorities in the disputed territory are involved in grave human rights abuses, according to the sources.

Since the change of government in Islamabad, there were some hopes of de-escalation in tensions. But such moves by India could undermine those efforts, as per sources.

Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also dashed hopes of any re-engagement when he insisted that New Delhi would talk to Pakistan on its terms, a statement that did not go down well in Islamabad.

If India succeeds, this will be the first international event in the disputed region since New Delhi unilaterally revoked the special status of the disputed territory on August 5, 2019. The Indian move has deepened tensions with Pakistan, which strongly dismissed the changes and termed it violation of both international laws as well as bilateral understandings between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Read Pakistan calls for protection of those oppressed in India, IIOJK

In recent months, the Indian government has tried to show normalcy in the troubled region by holding investment conference from Gulf countries and is now going a step further with trying to host a G20 summit.

But the Foreign Office statement here made it clear that Pakistan would not accept such a move.

In response to media queries, FO spokesperson Asim Iftikhar on Saturday stated that Pakistan had seen news items appearing in the Indian media indicating that the government of India might be contemplating to hold some G20-related meeting/event in IIOJK. “Pakistan completely rejects any such attempt by India,” he said.

“As is well-known, Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised ‘disputed’ territory between Pakistan and India. The territory has been under forcible and illegal occupation of India since 1947 and this dispute has remained on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council for over seven decades.”

The spokesperson noted that India was responsible for widespread atrocities and egregious human rights violations in IIOJK. Since illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, Indian occupation forces have killed 639 innocent Kashmiris in extra-judicial murders. Numerous reports of the UN, including the two commissioned by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2018 and 2019, have re-confirmed ongoing Indian atrocities against the Kashmiri people.

“Most ominously, India has been seeking to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory in flagrant violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, international law, and the 4th Geneva Convention.

“Contemplating the holding of any G20 related meeting/event in IIOJK, in utter disregard of the globally acknowledged ‘disputed’ status of the territory, is a travesty that the international community cannot accept under any circumstances.

“It is expected that in case of any such controversial proposal from India, which would be designed to seek international legitimacy for an illegal and tyrannical occupation continuing for over seven decades, the G20 members will be fully cognisant of the imperatives of law and justice and would reject it out-right,” the spokesperson said.

Pakistan also strongly urged the international community to call upon India to end its gross and systematic violations of human rights in IIOJK, revoke its illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, and free all political prisoners including the true Kashmiri leaders.

“The only way to lasting peace in South Asia is by granting the people of the IIOJK their inalienable right to self-determination as pledged to them in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” he said.