Kashmir is an international dispute: UN

NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD: The United Nations (UN) on Friday said Kashmir conundrum would be addressed in line with the UN Charter and UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions in a peaceful manner.

Negating Indian claims, the UN official website said in a statement with reference to the UNSC meeting on Kashmir that Kashmir issue would be resolved as per UN charter and UNSC resolutions.

The statement said Kashmir was not an internal matter of India but a matter of world peace and security which had come under debate within the UN ambit after 1965.

The website cited the UN Secretary General’s statement wherein he expressed grave concern over the situation in Occupied Kashmir.

He had also invited reference to Simla accord reached between Pakistan and India.

The UN observers are present in the disputed territory since long who report LoC violations.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday said the OIC and UNSC had both responded positively to Pakistan's call for taking up the Kashmir issue and after this huge success it had been decided to set up a Kashmir Cell at the Pakistan Foreign Office and Kashmir desks at Pakistan’s embassies all over the world to garner support for its Kashmir policy.

Speaking at the Foreign Office at the conclusion of a meeting of the Special Committee on Kashmir, he said the OIC had called for immediate end to curfew in the Indian Held Kashmir.

Qureshi was joined by DG Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor.

The special committee, set up by Prime Minister Imran Khan recently, is headed by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and comprises ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, ISPR DG Major General Asif Ghafoor, Law Minister Farogh Nasim, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan, Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairperson Fakhar Imam and Attorney General for Pakistan Anwar Mansoor Khan as members.

The foreign minister said the Kashmir issue was raised in the UNSC after five decades and a discussion took place on the matter.

“This is a major development, especially since India tried its utmost to keep it from happening," Qureshi said, where there was disappointment that member states did not agree to release a statement after the meeting.

“It is now up to the UNSC that it should shoulder the responsibility for helping to resolve the Kashmir dispute,” he said.

Qureshi stressed that the UNSC should consider itself responsible for resolving the dispute.

Qureshi said the UNSC would not have met if all the members had no consensus though India tried to prevent the meeting which rejected its viewpoint.

“The Special Committee on Kashmir met at the Foreign Office on Saturday and these are some of the decisions that we have taken. This committee has members from all parties concerned, including members of the opposition. This sends out the message that Pakistan is on the same page when it comes to the issue of occupied Kashmir and India's actions there,” said Qureshi.

“The historic meeting at the UN on Kashmir took place after more than 50 years. This was an important step for the entire world because it not only highlighted the importance of the issue, but also shed light on the things Pakistan can do. Pakistan has decided to intensify lobbying to effectively highlight the prevailing situation in occupied Kashmir,” he stated.

He said the Kashmir Cell and Kashmir desks will ensure effective communication on this issue.

“Pakistan does not recognise Article 370 of the Indian constitution. It is not our concern. Our concern is with the forceful change in Kashmir's demographics and violation of the rights of the people of Kashmir,” he added.

Asked whether Pakistan was considering moving the International Court of Justice, the minister said discussions were still on with the law ministry and the attorney general and a decision would be made while taking all points under consideration.

"Today, voices are being raised and they are saying that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has buried Jawaharlal Nehru's India. Voices are being raised within India and they are calling for returning the special status to Kashmir,” he pointed out.

Qureshi said three Indian officials were involved in carrying out the latest Kashmir doctrine of Prime Minister Modi.

"India is functioning on a dual doctrine. The three people carrying this doctrine out are Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, “he said.

Qureshi was visibly upset over the statement of Indian Defense Minister who hinted at doing away with India’s no first use nuclear policy.

"When there's a problem in the brain, then decisions like the one taken on August 5 come into being. When someone loses their mind they give the kind of statement the Indian interior minister gave,” Qureshi said.

The minister earlier said the substance and timing of the Indian defence minister’s statement was highly unfortunate and reflective of India’s irresponsible and belligerent behaviour.

“It further exposes the pretense of their No First Use policy, to which we have never accorded any credence. No first use pledge is non-verifiable and cannot be taken at face value, especially when development of offensive capabilities and force postures belie such claims. Pakistan has always proposed measures relating to nuclear restraint in South Asia and has eschewed measures that are offensive in nature. Pakistan will continue to maintain a credible minimum deterrence posture,” he added.

"We want to inform the world that we are suspicious of India's intentions. Narendra Modi has buried Nehru's India because now the Indian policy is revolving round the ‘Doval Doctrine’.

Qureshi said the government was still apprehensive that India might carry out some sort of a misadventure against Pakistan but they would see that Pakistanis were not only ready, but would also give them a befitting response. Pakistani troops are ready for any misadventures from India,” he said.

Meanwhile, Major General Asif Ghafoor said the armed forces were "ready for any misadventure that India might initiate."

"The situation in India and occupied Kashmir can be judged by the kind of statements their commanders have been giving for the past few days. We believe that Kashmir's reaction to India's actions may come out soon and we are prepared for that too."

"The atrocities being carried out by India in Kashmir are now out in the open for the whole world to see. This is not the matter of a piece of land, it is the matter of the rights of the people living in Kashmir,” he said.

General Asif also made it clear that Pakistan would not take any action that might change the international opinion against Islamabad.

"With the number of Indian troops present in the Kashmir region at the moment, even if a single person enters there [without them knowing] it would be a huge failure on India's part," he said, seemingly in preemption of a future accusation that Pakistan is helping militants infiltrate the disputed territory.

"Pakistan cannot carry out any action [in Kashmir] and rejects the notion that militants are being sent to Kashmir from here," he clarified.

During the press conference, General Ghafoor also pointed out that a number of Pakistani Twitter accounts posting in favour of Kashmir had been blocked.