ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday reiterated its call for immediate and transparent judicial inquiry, under international scrutiny, into the extrajudicial killings of all innocent Kashmiris in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In his weekly press briefing, Foreign Office Spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri referred to the killing of another six Kashmiri youths by the Indian occupation forces during the past two weeks.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the unabated extrajudicial killings of innocent Kashmiris in fake ‘encounters’ and staged ‘cordon-and-search’ operations in IIOJK. The extrajudicial killings of Kashmiris are a clear violation of the humanitarian norms and fundamental precepts of international law,” he remarked.
The spokesman also called for peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions for durable peace and stability in the region. Briefing the media on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s visit to Tajikistan to attend 9th Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process Ministerial Conference, Chaudhri said Pakistan recommended building upon the progress made through the “Doha Process”, ensuring orderly and responsible withdrawal of troops and reduction in violence and ceasefire.
On the sidelines, the foreign minister held bilateral meetings with the Afghan president, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Kazakhstan as well as the foreign ministers of Iran, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, he said.
During these meetings, Qureshi discussed a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, with particular focus on Afghanistan, he said, adding the foreign minister outlined Pakistan’s consistent position on the Afghan conflict and its continued support to the Afghan peace process.
Qureshi also called on the president of Tajikistan, the chairman of Lower House of Tajik Parliament and the defence minister, besides holding delegation level talks with the Tajik foreign minister, he said.
Chaudhri further told the media that Prime Minister Imran Khan received telephone call from the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Prime Minister lauded the transformational “Green Saudi Initiative” and the “Green Middle East Initiative” recently announced by the Crown Prince, he said, adding the Crown Prince invited Khan to visit Saudi Arabia in the near future, which he accepted.
According to the spokesman, Foreign Minister Qureshi also had a telephonic conversation with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud. Qureshi appreciated the steps taken by the kingdom’s leadership in resolving differences among the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). He particularly appreciated the recent initiative by the Saudi government for promoting resolution of issues in Yemen through dialogue and diplomacy.
During his conversation with the Chinese foreign minister, Qureshi underscored the need for enhancing cooperation in further augmenting Pakistan’s capacity to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Foreign Minister Wang Yi reassured China’s continued support to Pakistan in its fight against the pandemic.
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