NEW YORK: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday boycotted the speech of Indian Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at the meeting of Saarc Council of Ministers.
"It is not possible for me to sit with the murderer of Kashmiris," he told reporters after boycotting the speech. The spokesperson to the foreign minister had earlier announced that Qureshi had subjected his presence in the meeting during the speech to the lifting of curfew in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IOK).
Related: Modi government makes post-curfew plan
"Pakistan will not engage with the 'Butcher of Kashmir' until and unless they (India) lift the siege and putan end to atrocities in occupied Kashmir," a statement issued by the spokesperson said. "They must safeguard the human rights of every Kashmiri and ensure they are protected and not violated and trampled upon."
On August 5, the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stripped Kashmiris of the constitutional rights they had for seven decades through a rushed presidential order. Since then, an indefinite curfew has been in place in occupied Kashmir while elected leaders are still under house arrest.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will take up at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday the issue of the unilateral annexation and brutalities by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir. Foreign Minister Qureshi earlier in the day held a meeting with Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir and discussed the situation in occupied Kashmir as well as the prevailing threats to peace and security in the region.
During the meeting on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UNGA, the foreign minister thanked his Saudi counterpart for hosting a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Contact Group on Kashmir.
The foreign minister said, "Holding the emergency meeting in Makkah and raising voice for the Kashmiri people was a timely measure in the backdrop of India's unilateral step of August 5 of annexation," he said, adding that the meeting drew attention of the international community towards the issue.
Kasuri urged authorities of Pakistan and China to pull their resources to defeat forces seeking to disrupt the...
IHC said that several people had not returned the cipher copies they had, and asked if it meant it was right for the...
Gilani gave floor to Leader of Opposition Syed Shibli Faraz, who insisted that with unity they could take country...
Match witnessed intense action and dramatic twists, keeping fans on the edge of their seats until the final ball
Apex court bench was reconstituted after Justice Yahya Afridi recused himself from hearing the case earlier this month
ECP issued a notification in this connection pursuant to orders passed by LHC