PM Nawaz terms Burhan Wani a symbol of Kashmiri ‘Intifada’ in UN address

UNITED NATIONS: Burhan Wani , a leader of Hizbul Mujahideen whose death at the hands of Indian army sparked a new wave of protests in the last couple of months, has emerged as the symbol of the latest Kashmiri ‘Intifada, said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his fourth address to United Nations General Assembly which came amid rising tensions in Occupied Kashmir.

“This indigenous uprising of the Kashmiris has been met, as usual, with brutal repression by India’s occupation force of over half a million soldiers. Over a hundred Kashmiris have been killed, hundreds, including children and infants, blinded by shotgun pellets and over six thousand unarmed civilians injured over the past two months,” he said.

“On behalf of the Kashmiri people; on behalf of the mothers, wives, sisters, and fathers of the innocent Kashmiri children, women and men who have been killed, blinded and injured; on behalf of the Pakistani nation, I demand an independent inquiry into the extra-judicial killings, and a UN fact finding mission to investigate brutalities perpetrated by the Indian occupying forces, so that those guilty of these atrocities are punished,” the prime minister said.

Te prime minister said  Pakistan was committed to the establishment of strategic stability in the region and does not want an arms race with India, saying, “But we cannot ignore our neighbour’s unprecedented arms build up and will take whatever measures are necessary to maintain credible deterrence.”

"Pakistan fully supports Kashmiris' right to self-determination," he said, demanding the United Nations to play its role in ending the Indian occupation of Kashmir.   

"Peace between India and Pakistan cannot be achieved without resolution to the Kashmir dispute", he said, demanding an independent inquiry into the extrajudicial killings in Kashmir and an end to the curfew.

Pakistani Prime Minister said that India was putting "unacceptable" conditions on dialogue with Pakistan and said the world would ignore the dangers of rising tensions in South Asia at its own peril.

Speaking to the annual United Nations General Assembly, Nawaz Sharif also said Pakistan could not ignore India´s "unprecedented" arms build-up and would "take whatever measures are necessary to maintain credible deterrence.