US must use its influence to settle Kashmir dispute: Pak envoy

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr Asad Majeed Khan, has said Kashmir is a burden on the conscience of the international community and countries like the United States must use their influence to push the Indian government to resolve this issue through dialogue and engagement.

Speaking at a virtual event titled “The Future of Kashmir & the Challenges of Covid-19”, the Pakistan envoy said India was using the Covid-19 situation to advance its agenda in Kashmir through repression and violence. “Over 8 million people in IOJK (Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) were living in an ‘open-air prison’ during a raging pandemic, and Indian Government through arbitrary arrests, disappearances, torture and the use of pellet guns continued to suppress the just struggle of Kashmiris for their right to self-determination,” the ambassador highlighted, according to a press release issued on Wednesday.

He stressed: “Only, a lasting resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as per the aspirations of the people of Kashmir will ensure peace and prosperity in the region.”

The event was organised by the School of International Service (SAIS), American University. The discussion was moderated by Professor Akbar S Ahmed, the Ibn-Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University. The envoy also briefed the audience on the Covid-19 situation in Pakistan. He also touched upon the latest developments in Pakistan-US bilateral relations, and the regional situation.