Pakistan expressed its strong indignation over India’s decision to hold the G-20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Srinagar between May 22 to 24.
A statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the “scheduling of two other meetings of a consultative forum on youth affairs (Y-20) in Leh and Srinagar in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is equally disconcerting”.
“India’s irresponsible move is the latest in a series of self-serving measures to perpetuate its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir in sheer disregard of the United Nations (UN) Security Council (SC) resolutions and in violation of the principles of the UN Charter and international law. Pakistan vehemently condemns these moves.”
“Such events cannot hide the reality of Jammu and Kashmir being an internationally recognized dispute that has remained on the agenda of the UNSC for over seven decades.
“Nor could such activities divert the international community’s attention from India’s brutal suppression of the people of IIOJK including illegal attempts to change the demographic composition of the occupied territory.
“With its decision to host G-20 events in IIOJK, India is again exploiting its membership of an important international grouping for advancing its self-serving agenda,” added the statement.
“For a country that has a grandiose vision about itself and its place in the world, India has once more demonstrated that it is unable to act as a responsible member of the international community,” the statement read.
Last year, India assumed the presidency of the G20 forum last December and has hosted a series of events since February.
Notably, earlier in March the US State Department’s assessment of South Asian security had stated in categorical terms that heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over the unresolved dispute of Kashmir could lead to a full-fledged war.
The US intelligence community analysis, detailed before the US Congress, cannot be shunned away as an opinionated piece. Rather, it goes on to forecast that the two nuclear-armed nations could go to any length, and risk a nuclear confrontation.__Tribune.com
