PM Imran, Trump discuss Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday spoke with US President Donald Trump on the telephone about the atrocities in Indian occupied Kashmir.

“The prime minister presented Pakistan’s stance to US President Trump. The prime minister was engaging with world leaders and spoke to President Trump today on the situation in the region, especially in occupied Kashmir. Pakistan’s reservations on the danger to peace in the region were conveyed,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said in a televised address.

According to the foreign minister, Prime Minister Imran Khan had spoken with four of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the situation in Indian occupied Kashmir.

“Pakistan had presented its stance to the prime minister of Britain, President Trump, foreign minister of Russia. We have had direct contact with four of the five P-5 members. They are aware of Pakistan’s stance. We are trying to have Prime Minister Imran Khan speak to the president of France,” Qureshi added. 

The UNSC was meeting behind closed doors on Friday at the request of Pakistan and China to discuss India’s decision to revoke the special status of occupied Kashmir.

The council had taken up the issue of the critical situation in Indian occupied Kashmir after almost 50 years.

Qureshi further said that Prime Minister Imran Khan and US President Donald Trump also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and decided to stay in touch consistently.

“The role we have played is for the betterment of the region, Pakistan and Afghanistan. We will continue to take such steps,” said Qureshi. 

Trump urges India-Pakistan talks on Kashmir 

President Trump in his phone call with PM Imran urged that Pakistan engage with India to defuse tensions in the flashpoint region of Kashmir, the White House said.

"The president conveyed the importance of India and Pakistan reducing tensions through bilateral dialogue regarding the situation in Jammu and Kashmir," deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement.

PM Imran visited the White House last month and the contacts come as the United States is apparently closing in a possible peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

However, tension over Kashmir between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India is throwing the region into new danger.

During his meeting with PM Imran in July, Trump said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate in the conflict — a claim that the Indian government denied.

India has always insisted the Kashmir issue can only be resolved bilaterally with Pakistan.

— With additional information from AFP