Islamabad: Upping the ante on the eve of ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day', Pakistan's Parliament today passed a resolution asking the UN and the world community to play a role in resolving the Kashmir issue even as the government accused India of trying to change the demographic mix of Kashmir by settling non-Kashmiris in the Valley.
The resolution passed unanimously reiterated Pakistan's continuous political, moral and diplomatic support for Kashmiri people and said that the lingering dispute should be resolved through a “fair and transparent plebiscite”. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Chairman of Kashmir Committee of the Parliament, moved the resolution ahead of ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day' being observed in Pakistan tomorrow.
The resolution called upon the Indian government to allow human rights organisations to visit the Kashmir Valley. The resolution said the Kashmir dispute is a centrepiece in Indo-Pak dialogue and its resolution is imperative for durable peace and stability in the region. It also called upon the United Nations to strengthen the role of UN military observer group.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry accused India of trying to change the demographic mix of Kashmir by settling non-Kashmiris in the Valley.
He levelled the charge during a briefing for ambassadors of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries on the status of the Kashmir issue and “the plight of the Kashmiri Muslims”.
“He (Chaudhry) expressed deep concern over the policies of the present Hindu nationalist BJP Government aimed at changing the demographic makeup of Jammu and Kashmir by settling non-State subjects there and turning Muslim majority into a minority and dividing the population on ethnic, religious and communal lines,” according to an official statement issued after the meeting.
Chaudhry also said that “no elections in Kashmir could be a substitute to the plebiscite under the auspices of the UN”. In a related development, Prime Minister's Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz told the National Assembly that the dialogue process with India minus the Kashmir issue would be futile and not acceptable to Pakistan.
He said Pakistan wants meaningful and result-oriented talks with India for the resolution of all outstanding issues but the onus to initiate the dialogue process is on New Delhi. Aziz said that onus of resuming the dialogue lies with India “as it had suspended the Foreign Secretaries' level dialogue on a flimsy excuse of our High Commissioner's meeting with the Kashmiri leaders in New Delhi.”
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