Foreign Office on Thursday ruled out any possibility of engagement with India bilaterally on Kashmir dispute following the Modi administration's August 5 illegal steps, and emphasised that solution of Kashmir dispute lies only in the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Speaking at his weekly media briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal rejected the Indian government's claims that Kashmir is its internal matter, saying recent session of UN Security Council is a huge success of the Pakistan's foreign policy and a manifestation of the fact that Kashmir is not India's internal matter.
"The entire world is now well aware of the India's hypocrisy. They [Indian] call Kashmir issue as its internal matter within India and to the rest of the world they say it is a bilateral matter," he said while commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks after his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump.
To a question, he said that Pakistan has always supported bilateral talks with India on all issues including IOJ&K but it is India, which is not willing to resolve it through bilateral means.
He pointed out that Prime Minister Khan and Foreign Minister Qureshi have repeatedly supported resolution of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) issue through negotiations. "Contrarily, the Indian side is claiming the disputed territory of IOJ&K as its integral part and bringing about a material change in IOJ&K, hence the Prime Minister and foreign minister have stated that it is no longer possible for us to talk to India bilaterally," he asserted.
Commenting on Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's recent statement, claiming that Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are parts of India and Pakistan has illegally occupied both, Faisal said that Pakistan's position on Kashmir is very clear.
"We do not agree to Indian claims as these are not based on ground realities. The problem is not Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan but Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India has already taken illegal action on 5th August 2019. As a result, India is facing censure and pressure domestically and internationally," he added.
Responding to another query, the spokesperson asserted that there has been no change in Pakistan's policy on Israel following some media commentators suggested to establish diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv. "Our policy on Israel is very clear and there is no change in it," he added.
To another question about approaching International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Kashmir, he said that consultations with all stakeholders are underway on this 'very delicate' issue and no final decision has been taken as yet.
Faisal said that Kashmir dispute is not a closed one and it is quite on the agenda of the UN Security Council, adding that further developments are expected on it. He asked India to stop misleading the international community and accept the ground realities by resolving the issue as per the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
To another query about the airspace closure with India, he said that the matter was discussed at the highest level and no decision has been taken so far. "However, we can exercise this option at the time of our choosing," he added.
About the grave situation in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, he said Indian occupation forces have converted the occupied Kashmir especially Srinagar into a military garrison by deploying Indian troops in every nook and corner to prevent people from staging demonstrations against the illegal actions.
He said that the IoK is under siege and cut off from the rest of the world, adding that Indian forces continue to impose an unprecedented military lockdown and total clampdown in the occupied valley.
He said the people have repeatedly attempted to break the curfew and other restrictions, adding that Kashmiri people are staging protests to show their resentment against the Indian occupation and its nefarious designs. The spokesperson called upon the international community to take cognizance of blatant human rights violations in the occupied valley. He further said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will be visiting Geneva to attend the meeting of UN Human Rights council next month to raise the human rights abuses being committed by the Indian forces. He said that Special Envoy Tehmina Janjua is already in Geneva for an extensive outreach with OIC and other countries.
About the possible outcome of US-Taliban talks in Doha, the spokesperson said that Pakistan has been making sincere efforts to facilitate the process. He said the next round of talks between the US and Afghan Taliban has started and the peace agreement between the two sides is in its final phase "We are hopeful to see its early positive conclusion leading to peace and security in Afghanistan," he said, adding that Pakistan will continue to work to help take peace efforts in Afghanistan to its logical conclusion.
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