Treasury calls for severing diplomatic ties with India

ISLAMABAD: The government members in the joint sitting of parliament on Wednesday said Pakistan should sever diplomatic ties with India over its move to end autonomous status of Indian Held Kashmir (IHK).

Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari said the PTI government has decided to start diplomatic offensive against India’s action of ending special status of IHK. “We have already taken step in this direction by writing a letter to the president of the United Nations Security Council,” she said.

The minister said that Pakistan was also considering requesting for calling special session of the Security Council. She said that India had done official annexation of IHK which is illegal and illegitimate. “The same thing was done by Israel in case of Palestine,” the minister said.

Terming India a rogue state, Dr Shireen Mazari said that under United Nations Charter, Kashmir is a disputed territory, adding that what India has done is war crime and illegal and not acceptable to Pakistan and rest of the world. She observed that changing status of IHK by India is rogue action taken by the rogue Indian government. She said that through its action, the Indian government has violated international law, UN Charter, its own constitution and verdict of its Supreme Court.

Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that Modi had taken an extreme step which would give new life to the Kashmiris freedom struggle. Talking about ideology of BJP, he said that there is no Muslim among 303 sitting parliamentarians of the ruling elite. He said a leader like Modi was bent upon implementing theory of RSS and leading India to Hindu Raj. He asked Muslims residing in India to rise and awake for the sake of their rights. He said he is seeing solution of Kashmir problem within six months.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made the joint sitting of the house chant slogans ‘Kashmir Banay Ga Pakistan’. Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said there should be no politics on bodies of Kashmiri martyrs. He said the opposition leaders should have supported Prime Minister Imran Khan when he asked the opposition ‘should he attack India?’ “We do not want war but it should not be an impression that we are running away from war,” he said.

Fawad Chaudhry said Pakistan should sever diplomatic relations with India. “The India envoy in Islamabad in good man but he is representing a fascist regime here,” he said. He observed that what would be use of keeping Pakistani diplomat in India if no diplomacy is taking place between the two countries. He said that wars are fought for dignity and respect, not for victory or defeat.

“A strong message should go to the world that Pakistani nation is standing with Kashmiri people,” he said. Ghous Bux Mehar said the House which is still divided should give a message of unity on Kashmir issue.

Minister for Communication Murad Saeed said the prime minister in his speech on floor of the House exposed real face of India and effectively presented narrative of Pakistan by talking about two-nation theory and calling it as racist state. He said the Parliament would have to give a clear message to Kashmiris that we stand by them in every hour of need.

He said the government will use all diplomatic channels to highlight the intensity of the issue and its far reaching implications. He said the process of the resolution of Kashmir issue has started and the day is not far when Kashmir will become part of Pakistan.

Ex-Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza said that India committed violation of the United Nations resolutions and Geneva Conventions by taking a unilateral action. She said that India was trying to make demographic changes in occupied territory to pave way for plebiscite in its favour.

Senator Shibli Faraz of the PTI regretted India’s unilateral action of changing demography of the disputed territory. He observed that Modi was now bent upon turning India into a Hindu state.

Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Sabir Hussain Kaimkhani of the MQM said Pakistan should devise a policy in response to expansionist designs of India. Dr Rumesh Kumar said the Hindu community of Pakistan had given a message of solidarity with the country by displaying world’s one of biggest national flags inside the National Assembly hall.

“This has become record in the Geniuses Book and a certificate in this regard will be received before August 14,” he said. He said the Indian action with regard to Kashmir is a big question mark on democratic system in India.

Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur said that India had been mainly responsible for unrest in the South Asian region. He said over 100,000 Kashmiris have been martyred, 30,000 women rendered window and 150,000 have been imprisoned. He said the Pakistani nation salutes the people of Kashmir.

“The present situation demands immediate attention of the UN Security Council and should also ask as to why its resolutions have not been implemented,” he said. He said that people and armed forces of Pakistan were standing with people Kashmir and would continue to do so.