Qureshi invites US diplomats to visit AJK, LoC

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Saturday invited the US diplomats, currently in Pakistan after their India tour, to visit Azad Kashmir and the Line of Control (LoC). He was talking to the media at his residence here, along with US delegation including Senator Chris Van Hollen and US Ambassador to Pakistan Paul W Jones.

Qureshi said Pakistan would welcome visit of any diplomat to the LoC and make arrangements for it. They can visit any part of Azad Kashmir, as Pakistan did not believe in concealing facts like India, added Qureshi.

The foreign minister said Senator Chris Van Hollen was going to table a bill in the US Senate on gross human rights violations in India Occupied Kashmir (IOK). He would also table an amendment bill on Kashmir, presented in the US Foreign Relations Committee, Qureshi added.

The US diplomats were in Multan on Saturday to participate in the inaugural ceremony of 780th urs celebrations of Sufi saint Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya.

Qureshi told the media Senator Hollen was one of the four parliamentarians who had written a letter to US President Donald Trump about human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir. He said the US senator was on a fact-finding mission in India and he wanted to visit the India held Valley, but the Narendra Modi government did not allow him.

He said India, in fact, wanted to conceal facts from the world. When a US Congressman is not allowed to visit the IOK, the world could understand the ground realities in the held Valley, added Qureshi. He thanked US President Trump, Senator Chris Van Hollen and Ambassador Paul Jones over their Kashmir stance.

The FM said Pakistan wanted restoration of basic human rights in the IOK, lifting of lockdown and an end to media blackout. He said Pakistan was making efforts to awaken the world over rights violations in the IOK. He said 900,000 Indian soldiers had besieged eight million Kashmiris in the Valley.

Speaking on the occasion, Senator Chris Van Hollen said the world knew very well what was happening in occupied Kashmir and South Asia. He said he was in India, but was not allowed to visit the held Kashmir. He said he discussed many issues with the Indian leadership including Kashmir. He said journalists and politicians should be allowed to visit held Kashmir.

The senator said President Donald Trump had offered mediation on Kashmir and his country believed that talks were the only option between India and Pakistan on Kashmir. Senator Hollen said the US would make efforts for resumption of talks between the neighbouring countries at the earliest.

He said the UN Security Council discussed Kashmir problem after 54 years. He said a visit to Azad Kashmir was also part of his tour as he wanted to assess the ground realities personally. He appreciated Pakistan’s role in restoration of peace in the region. He thanked Shah Mehmood Qureshi for inviting him to visit Multan.

Agencies add: Addressing the first session of National Zakariya Conference in Multan on Saturday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan and entire nation were standing with the Kashmiri people in their freedom struggle. He said Pakistanis were praying for freedom of Kashmir from Indian occupation.

The foreign minister said negotiations for settlement of the Afghanistan issue were in progress and we wish success of dialogue. He said the Afghan people had suffered bloodshed for a long period of time which should come to an end now.

He also called upon Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to avoid march on Islamabad on Oct 27, as it was the day of expressing solidarity with the Kashmiri people.

Talking to a private news channel, he suggested the Maulana review the date of his march so that the Kashmir cause was not damaged.

He thanked Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar for giving approval of expansion of shrines of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya Multani, Hazrat Shah Ruknuddin Alam Soharwardy and Hazrat Bibi Pakdaman projects.

He said that foundation stone of Nishtar-2 hospital project had been laid which would help in providing latest treatment facilities to the people of southern Punjab and Balochistan.

Earlier, addressing the inaugural session of the three-day Urs celebrations of Sufi saint Bahauddin Zakariya here, Shah Mehmood Qureshi stressed the need for following the teachings of Sufi saints to end the Muslim extremism propaganda and promote peace, love and brotherhood. He urged the devotees to understand the message of the great Sufi saint and follow it for success in life and hereafter.

The FM called upon the devotees to pray specially for Kashmiris, who were living in miserable conditions and facing brutalities at the hands of the Indian forces.

In the earlier session, the custodian of the shrine, Shah Mehmood Qureshi also gave traditional ‘ghusal’ to the shrine, along with Punjab CM Usman Buzdar to formally open the Urs celebrations.