Entire nation stands united on Kashmir issue: FM Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Pakistani nation, political parties, and the armed forces were on the same page regarding Kashmir.

While addressing an All Parties Conference held today to form a consensus on the lingering dispute Qureshi said that the country had rejected India’s unconstitutional and unilateral move on August 5, 2019.

Chairman Senate, Speaker of National Assembly and representatives from JUI-F, Jamaat-e-Islami, ANP, PPP, PML-N, BNP, and others were present at the meeting held at the Foreign Office.

The foreign minister lauded the opposition parties for giving valuable inputs to the meeting. He said the parties were also appreciative of the briefing given by us on the issue.

Qureshi said a special session of the Senate has been summoned tomorrow and a joint sitting of the parliament on Thursday to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people and give a clear and unanimous message to the Indian government.

FM Qureshi said that the entire country was united on the issue of occupied Kashmir and will give ‘one message’ to India on the one-year anniversary of New Delhi’s August 5 move.

He said that political activists, stakeholders and other members of the society will take part in Yaum-e-Istehsal rallies around the country tomorrow.

Nation will observe one-minute silence, of course, keeping in mind the SOPs due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the Yaum-e-Istehsal, he added.

The foreign minister lashed out at the Indian government for imposing a curfew in the occupied region, adding that it had negated India’s stance.

On 5 August 2020, the Indian government rushed through a presidential decree to abolish Article 370 of the Constitution which granted special status to Indian occupied Kashmir.

As tensions mounted in the disputed valley over the illegal move, New Delhi deployed unprecedented numbers of in the area to suppress the dissent.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah had introduced a resolution to scrap Article 370 in Rajya Sabha, which revoked the special status granted to occupied Kashmir and made the state a Union Territory with the legislature.