Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday reiterated Pakistan's all possible support for Kashmir cause, saying 87 days of complete lockdown with the imposition of curfew in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IOK) have not dissuaded the resolve of the people of occupied valley to demand liberation from atrocious Indian regime.
He was briefing the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, which met in the chair of Ehsan Ullah Tiwana, about the situation in the occupied valley and the steps Pakistan is taking to highlight Kashmir issue and Indian forces' atrocities on civilians in IOK.
The Foreign minister said the federal government, materialising the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, is out to facilitate Pakistan's minorities as much as possible. He said the PM having laid the foundation stone of Baba Guru Nanak University in Nankana Sahib, earlier on Monday last, is part of this policy. In addition, he said, all arrangements have been finalized to open Kartarpur Corridor on November 9 to allow Sikh pilgrims in maximum numbers to visit their holy site in Pakistan.
"Have a look at what we are doing to make the lives of our minority compatriots better and see what India is doing with the Muslims in the occupied valley," he said. Coming down hard on Indian PM Narendra Modi, Qureshi said, "He (Modi) is a product of extremist ideology driven by terrorism, fear and violence and based on Hindutva.
If, for a second, we believe the lies of Modi and say all is well in IOK, why were then the leaders of 10 political parties of India not allowed to visit Srinagar and returned from the Srinagar airport? Why were they taking these kinds of coercive measures if there's nothing to hide? The truth is there is everything to hide because the people of the occupied State of Jammu and Kashmir have been held hostage with the imposition of round-the-clock curfew for more than three weeks and India's extremist government does not want the world to show its ugly face."
Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan once again denied permission to Indian PM Modi to use its airspace in the backdrop of Black Day (October 27) observed to commemorate Indian forces illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
This is not the first time Pakistan has denied airspace to the Indian PM. Ties between the two South Asian neighbours, Pakistan and India, have been at the lowest ebb since August 5 this year when Indian parliament deprived the IOK of the special autonomous status it enjoyed for decades, with the repealing of Article 370.
Since then, Pakistan has taken a number of initiatives to respond to this move including suspension of bilateral trade with India, expulsion of Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria, denial of Pakistan's airspace to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and PM Modi, suspension of Samjhauta Express and Thar Express train services, and convening a joint session of the parliament against Indian parliament's repealing of Article 370 among other measures.
Last month, the PM slammed his Indian counterpart and his government for serious atrocities coupled with grave human rights violations in IOK in a hard-hitting speech delivered at UN General Assembly that has earned wide public applause in Pakistan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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