Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday welcomed the United Nations Security Council's meeting called to discuss the worsening human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir and appreciated their concerns over the situation in the disputed Himalayan region.
A day earlier, the UNSC had called a special meeting in New York to discuss the deteriorating human rights situation in India-occupied Kashmir.
China, which is among the five permanent Security Council members, pushed for the meeting owing to reports of widespread human rights violations and a crippling curfew in the Indian occupied part of the disputed territory.
PM Imran reminded the UNSC that the issue had been on its agenda for the past 70 years and that the UN body was responsible for maintaining peace and security.
"The UNSC, under the UN Charter, not only has the responsibility for maintaining international peace and security but also of ensuring implementation of its resolutions," he said.
The premier thanked the Council members who had expressed concern over the worsening human rights and humanitarian situation in occupied Kashmir and underscored the need for respecting international law.
"Pakistan’s position remains clear and unambiguous. The J&K dispute must be resolved in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions granting Kashmiri people the right of self-determination under a free & fair plebiscite," the premier said.
"Pakistan will continue to extend all possible support to the Kashmiri people until they secure this inalienable right," he added.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said that India had failed to convince the UNSC meeting that Kashmir is a bilateral issue, adding that the act only reaffirms the resolution that the dispute should be resolved through an impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices, reported Radio Pakistan.
The foreign minister said that India has illegally occupied the valley and has intensified ceasefire violations across the Line of Control in a move that gravely threatens regional security.
Qureshi said that the UN Secretariat and representatives from the UN Military Observer Group in Pakistan also briefed the session regarding the current situation in occupied Kashmir, confirming the status as tense.
He said that he sent across a message saying that Pakistan will continue to be the voice for the oppressed Kashmiris on international platforms.