Pakistan hails China, S Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt, Oman for not attending G-20 meeting in IIOJ&K

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan while categorically rejecting India’s move to host the meeting of the G-20 Tourism Working Group in Srinagar on May 22-24 , nevertheless, greatly appreciated the People’s Republic of China, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Türkiye, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Sultanate of Oman for not attending the Srinagar meeting.

“These countries have stood for international law and for the primacy of the UN Charter. Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised disputed territory. The dispute has remained on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council for over seven decades. In that backdrop, India hosted this Meeting in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) in complete disregard of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, principles of the UN Charter and international law,” said the spokesperson at the Foreign Office at the weekly media briefing on Thursday.

G-20 was established, primarily, to address global financial and economic issues. By holding this meeting in the occupied territory, India has politicised yet another international forum, and is exploiting its position as the current Chair to advance its self-serving agenda.

She pointed out that holding the G-20 meeting in a disputed territory is a betrayal of the people of the IIOJ&K. “For the last seven decades, they have been waiting for the international community to pay attention to their plight and to bring an end to the occupation and human rights violations. Tourism and development cannot be promoted by holding the local population hostage and denying them their rights and freedoms,” she added.