ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan has said that any attempt to equate the peaceful indigenous Kashmiris’ struggle with terrorism, and to designate individuals supporting the right to self-determination as terrorists is unacceptable.
“Equally unacceptable is the willful disregard of the atrocities being committed by Indian security forces against innocent Kashmiri Civilians,” the Foreign Office said on Wednesday in response to the US-India Joint Statement issued from Washington D.C. on Tuesday (June 27, 2017).
“This undermines the ideals and principles of the UN Charter. It endangers peace and security in the region,” it added in its press release.
The Foreign Office said that by failing to address key sources of tension and instability in the region, the US-India Joint Statement aggravates an already tense situation.
It said that the meeting in Washington D.C. between the US President Donald Trump and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a missed opportunity to induce India to alter its policies inimical to peace in the region.
The Foreign Office said that India’s persistent gross human rights violations in Kashmir and state backed persecution of religious minorities in India need to be replaced by respect for basic human dignity, protection of life, property and freedom of speech.
“Democratic stewardship, as claimed in the statement, demands that as a minimum,” said the press release issued by the Foreign Office.
It said that Pakistan firmly believes in the legitimacy of the Kashmir cause and supports the peaceful struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination – a right promised to them by the international community through repeated UN Security Council resolutions.
The Foreign Office said that Pakistan stands ready and committed to resolve all outstanding disputes especially Jammu & Kashmir with India through peaceful means and in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions that underscore the importance of addressing the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. This is a commitment that India also needs to make publicly, it added.
Moreover, the Foreign Office said that Pakistan has been the primary victim of terrorism in the region, and its contributions and sacrifices in fighting terrorism are un-matched.
“No Country has sacrificed as much as Pakistan, not only in material resources but in lives,” it said adding that through relentless security operations, we have achieved significant success in eliminating terrorists and their networks from our soil without discrimination.
“We are committed to bring the fight against terrorism to its logical conclusion by eliminating this scourge from our soil. Pakistan expects the international community to unequivocally stand with it in this fight against terrorism,” the Foreign Office said.
The Foreign Offices said that regrettably, those who seek to appropriate a leadership role in the fight against terror are themselves responsible for much of the terror unleashed in recent years in Pakistan.
It further said that India has supported the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a proxy against Pakistan from across the border. It said that India’s culpability in creating this further source of regional insecurity cannot be ignored.
