In its fresh effort to divert world’s attention from cross-border terrorism, Pakistan has written to the Arab League highlighting “horrific Indian brutalities in Kashmir” and asked its member countries to intervene.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has written a letter to the Secretary-General of Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit. In the letter, Aziz said that the current unrest in the Valley was a “manifestation of continued and long-held alienation” of the Kashmiris, the MOFA said.
“The Adviser underscored that India has unleashed a reign of terror against the innocent and defenseless civilians since the extrajudicial killing of a young Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani on 8 July, 2016,” a press release by the MOFA said.
“The Adviser also emphasized that the current situation in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir is the result of the continued denial by India of the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu & Kashmir that was promised to them by the United Nations Security Council in the relevant resolutions,” it added.
Aziz emphasized that the current uprising is not an isolated incident but a manifestation of continued deep, widespread and long-held alienation of the oppressed people of Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir from the Indian occupation, it said.
“The Adviser said that the spontaneous and massive uprising is a manifestation that Kashmir struggle is totally indigenous which cannot be equated with terrorism,” it further said.
The Arab League countries were also urged to call upon India to immediately stop the “bloodshed and massacre” in Kashmir and implement the pending UNSC resolutions.
The letter is the latest attempt by Pakistan to involve the international community in the Kashmir issues. Earlier, Pakistan also wrote to the UN about the situation in Kashmir.
Meanwhile, India today strongly reacted to Nawaz Sharif’s letters to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein and said that writing letters will not “whitewash cross-border terrorism.”
"Pakistan has no locus standi in addressing any aspect of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which is an internal matter of India, except to put an end to all cross-border terrorism, infiltration and support and instigation to terrorism and violence against India.
We are in touch with important interlocutors bilaterally as well as multilaterally to put across the correct picture. Let me also say it does not matter how many letters are written, it will still not whitewash cross-border terrorism," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
