Kashmir settlement key to sustainable peace in S Asia: Bozkir

ISLAMABAD: President-elect of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir emphasised on Monday that the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir issue was key to sustainable peace in South Asia, as he said difficult challenges could be dealt with peacefully through meaningful mutual engagements.

The UN dignitary, who arrived in the federal capital on a two-day visit earlier in the day, said the “meaningful engagement of political and diplomatic channels” was significant to resolve the (Kashmir) issue in accordance with the resolutions of UN Security Council.

Bozkir, the first Turkish national to hold this position for 75th UNGA Session, said Turkey’s position on Jammu and Kashmir was well-known and its foreign ministry had issued a strong statement over India’s action of August 5, 2019.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi later on Monday, Bozkir said if his assistance was requested by the parties, he would be ready to contribute within his mandate, as he stressed the need for peaceful settlement of the decades-old Kashmir dispute.

Bozkir said Foreign Minister Qureshi and Prime Minister Imran Khan presented their approach on the Kashmir issue during talks. Speaking on the occasion, Qureshi said the UN Security Council had deliberated on the lingering dispute three times in a year which was unprecedented and “we are grateful to it”. He said Pakistan desired the discussion on the dispute was also held in the UNGA as it was the pulse of the world that highlighted the views of the comity of nations.

The foreign minister said the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir were concerned over the demographic change taking place there. He said if Kashmir issue was not resolved, peace in the region would remain disturbed, and its implications would even go beyond the region. He said Kashmir had become a flashpoint, and the United Nations must act now on the issue.

Responding to a question about the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, Qureshi said Pakistan had given freedom to the UN observers and they shared their reports. While on the other, he said, India had obstructed to the working of the UN observers. He called upon the United Nations to play a role in that regard.

The foreign minister said the number of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control had been very high last year, and in the current year so far, India had committed 1,845 ceasefire violations, targeting innocent civilians.

Bozkir said Pakistan is a key country at the United Nations which makes extensive and substantial contributions to the world body’s work, including the peace operations. He said the UN looks forward to close cooperation with Pakistan.

Referring to his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan, the UNGA President-elect said Khan was a well-known political figure in the world, who had a vision for the region and the world peace and security as well as other important issues faced by the world, including climate change and problems of least developed countries.

He stressed the UN role must also be more towards the countries that were in need. Bozkir said the world was currently faced with many challenges, including humanitarian and deadly conflicts. He said the unprecedented health challenge of Covid-19 was a threat with social, political and economic consequences.

Extending condolences to Pakistan over the loss of lives it faced due to Covid-19, Bozkir said Pakistan had been a good example for the world to deal with the pandemic through its policies, as the country had done better than other countries.

Qureshi mentioned that during his meeting with the UNGA president-elect, he briefed him on the evolving situation of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir facing military siege for the last one year, human rights violations and illegal search and cordon operations.

The foreign minister said he also briefed the UNGA president-elect about the role played by Pakistan in pushing forward the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, the challenges that lied ahead and the recent positive developments.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Khan stressed that the United Nations must play its rightful role to address the grave situation in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir and ensure that Kashmiris exercise their right to self-determination promised to them in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Talking to President-elect of the 75th Session of the UNGA, Volkan Bozkir, who called on him in Islamabad on Monday, the Prime Minister highlighted the dire human rights and humanitarian situation in the IOJ&K since August 5, 2019, as well as the ongoing gross and systematic violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people and the attempts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory.

He apprised Bozkir of his government’s initiatives to mitigate and suppress the socio-economic impacts of Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on saving lives, securing livelihoods, and stimulating the economy.