Bilawal slams Qureshi’s ‘half-hearted’ effort on IHK

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has criticised Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s “half-hearted” efforts in moving the United Nations Security Council over Kashmir as “shameful”, Geo News reported.

Qureshi had earlier said approaching the UNSC over India’s stripping of occupied Kashmir’s relative autonomy would be “difficult”, as he anticipated it would likely be vetoed by one of the council’s permanent members.

Bilawal said he was quite disheartened by the foreign minister’s statement as it seemed “he will not put complete effort in the attempt”. Bilawal said before even approaching the UNSC, passing such a statement “does not make any sense”.

He also suggested a joint strategy to be formed to “fully support” the Kashmiris in pleading their right to self-determination at all forums. Bilawal also called for continuing political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri people to resolve the long-standing Kashmir issue as per the United Nations resolutions.

He said the entire nation was united on the issue and it was high time to expose the cruel face of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Modi government, he said, was continuously violating human rights in Kashmir. There was enough evidence of gross human rights abuses by the Indian occupation forces, he added.

The PPP leader said violence could never stop the freedom movement or demoralise the Kashmiris. He said: “We need to have one voice against Indian aggression and stop the Indian government from doing all this with innocent Kashmiris in occupied Kashmir.”

He said supporting Kashmiris for their constitutional and democratic rights was in fact standing up for truth, law and democracy.Punjab government Spokesman Shahbaz Gill while criticising Bilawal, said politics being done on occupied Kashmir issue is shameful.