India locked down mosques, worship places in held Kashmir, says Qureshi

SUKKUR: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said revocation of Kashmir’s special status is a clear message to the world to see how Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has violated religious freedom as he locked down mosques and other worship places in the occupied Kashmir, while Pakistan gives freedom to all the religious minorities to perform their rituals.

While addressing a convention in Thar on Saturday, the foreign minister said today’s gathering is to express solidarity with the people of Indian Held Kashmir, especially because it is hosted by the Hindu community of the country. He said it is not a political gathering, we are here to give a message of solidarity to our Kashmiri brothers who are being subdued by the Indian atrocities.

“You cannot stand in front of Muslims in Srinagar but I can stand in front of Hindus of my country as Pakistan gives all freedom to all the minorities,” said Qureshi. He said the so-called democratic Indian government is not allowed to enter Srinagar, while Nehru and Gandhi’s political philosophy is being ridiculed today as the RSS is in dominance in India.

Qureshi said we respect the religious boundaries of the Hindu community. He said Jawaharlal Nehru’s speeches on Kashmir in Lok Sabha are part of the record. He pointed out that the fascist Modi’s government has also prevented elected opposition leaders to enter held Srinagar.

Qureshi said he was visiting the Shiv Temple with the message of harmony and peace. He recalled the Arab countries have come to rescue Pakistan when it needed them in the past. “The nation should not forget Pakistan was about to default if the UAE and Saudi Arabia had not come to help us in our hard times,” he added. The minister said hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis are employed in these countries, who send their remittances home.

He said the people should not be worried about the Gulf countries because they would support Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir once the facts are cleared. He said he would convey the sentiments of the people to the UAE foreign minister in his next meeting.

Addressing the gathering, former Sindh chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim said the people are united to show solidarity with the people of the Indian Held Kashmir. He hoped Prime Minister Imran Khan would resolve all the crisis confronting the country, including economic issues.