New York (TDI): Pakistan on Monday briefed the United Nations Security Council on the prevailing tensions in South Asia after the killing of 26 people in the Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir tourist resort of Pahalgam.
The UNSC convened an emergency in-camera meeting on Islamabad’s request and received a briefing from Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar.
The meeting was attended by all fifteen members of the council, including the five-permanent powers.
“Islamabad is grateful to the UNSC members for their attention and engagement,” Ambassador Iftikhar told journalists, while briefing the media.
He said that the Kashmir issue as a longstanding dispute between Pakistan and India, adding that it has been lingering since the last seven decades.
He expressed strong reservations over New Delhi’s recent unilateral measures and said that Pakistan had raised an effective voice against Indian actions in the UNSC.
He said that Pakistan is always prepared to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Pakistan’s envoy also expressed reservations over India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, terming it a violation of the international law.
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He condemned atrocities committed by the Indian troops in the occupied valley and highlighted the unabated persecution of unarmed and innocent Kashmiris.
About the Pahalgam attack, Asim Iftikhar condemned the incident and made it clear that Islamabad had nothing to do with it.
“Pakistan is ready to fully cooperate in a neutral, independent, transparent and international probe into the incident,” he added.
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He emphasized that lasting peace in the region was possible only after the resolution of the Kashmir problem and urged that this issue should be resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiris.
The ambassador said that India’s provocative measures posed grave threats to peace and security in the South Asia, and emphasized that diplomacy was the only way to peace.
He added that Islamabad is always ready for negotiations based on the principles of mutual respect, dignity and sovereignty.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
