PM to apprise UN Secretary General of plight of Kashmiris: Fatemi

ZURICH: Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi on Tuesday said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would highlight the critical situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) during his upcoming meeting with the United Nations (UN) Secretary General on the sidelines of World Economic Forum (WEF).

“If the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir is not addressed according to the wishes of its people, it would have far-reaching consequences,” he told APP here, when asked about the meetings of the prime minister on the sidelines of the 47th WEF at Davos.

Fatemi termed Kashmir a “flash point” which he said could turn into a very serious situation.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to meet Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of WEF on January 19.

The prime minister who has been forcefully raising the Kashmir issue at all international fora, including the UN General Assembly, would seek UN’s role in addressing the long-standing dispute.

Pakistan earlier this month asked the United Nations to restrain India from interfering and from activities aimed at destabilizing Pakistan.

Tariq Fatemi said the prime minister during the meeting would highlight the deployment of over 700,000 troops in the IOK, use of pellet guns and rejection of a fact-finding mission by India.

He regretted the “ethnic cleansing and genocide” of Kashmiris by the Indian occupational forces and said even the independent human rights groups in Kashmir were describing the movement as “indigenous and home grown” and without any foreign influence.

He said the movement gained momentum after the death of Burhanuddin Wani.

Fatemi said the prime minister would also take up the matter relating to incidents of firing on unarmed civilians, ongoing curfew and demonstrations of the Kashmiri youth against the atrocities.

And Pakistan desired relations with all countries on the basis of honour and dignity.

He said the prime minister would categorically inform the UN Secretary General that India was responsible for the tension in the region.

Fatemi pointed out the Indian belligerent attitude, the talk of surgical strikes, violation of ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and firing at the Working Boundary.