Pakistan pays tribute to Burhan Wani on his death anniversary

ISLAMABAD: Paying tributes to Kashmiri leader Burhan Muzzafar Wani, on his second death anniversary, Pakistan says that this marks another dark chapter in the lives of innocent Kashmiris of Indian held Jammu & Kashmir which has become ‘a living hell’ for them.

“His struggle symbolises that of every Kashmiri, who is fighting the inhumane and treacherous Indian rule in IHK everyday, for the just right to self-determination, which is enshrined in the relevant UNSC Resolutions and calls for a UN-mandated plebiscite in held Jammu & Kashmir,” spokesman at the Foreign Office remarked in his weekly media briefing.

Wani was brutally killed by Indian occupation forces on July 8, 2016. It is high time, says the government, that India realise that it can no longer conceal its vicious face of tyranny and oppression behind politics of hate and deception.

Pakistan is also investigating the use of chemical materials in pellet guns by Indian occupation forces which, it says, will raise at the highest level once facts are established. After several decades, The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a United Nations agency that works to promote and protect the human rights that are guaranteed under international law, has released extensive reports on Kashmir.

“The OHCHR Report on Jammu and Kashmir is a reflection of Pakistan’s repeated calls on the international community to put an end. India’s brutal use of pellet guns, indiscriminate firing, use of human shield and promulgation of draconian AFPSA and SPA laws that are making lives of Kashmiris in IoK a living hell,” remarked the spokesman.

To several queries about the recent film festival at Pak Mission in New York, while Wani’s death anniversary was being observed, he responded, “One of the fundamental responsibilities of our Mission at the UN is to effectively highlight the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Our Mission in New York is regularly doing that at all UN Forums, and I will check about the film festival”.

While world capitals have ignored what could be the tip of the iceberg where, according to Indian media, five Indian nationals carrying and selling uranium while arrested the spokesman said that was a matter of ‘deep concern’.

“We are deeply concerned about the reported incident involving the attempted sale of Uranium on the black market. We are looking forward to the results of further investigations. The report raises several questions about nuclear security and or interest of criminal groups and individuals in Uranium and their motivations,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office will submit its reply to the ICJ in Commander Kulbhushan Jadhev case on July 17. With the US in its periodic interest on Afghanistan once more in the forefront it has promoted its Ambassador in Pakistan, Ambassador David Hale as Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

This was preceded by a visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Kabul to jump start the peace dialogue. The spokesman to queries in this regard reiterated Pakistan’s stated position that there can be no military solution to the conflict.

“Others who were insistent to resolve the issue through military means are also arriving at the same conclusion, which is a good omen for the people of Afghanistan who have suffered immensely from the merciless conflict. We urge all sides, including Taliban to renounce kinetic options and join the peace and reconciliation process to end this brutal conflict in Afghanistan,” he said.