PM raises issue of Kashmir with UNSG

(2017-09-21) Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi raised the issue of Kashmir with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Thursday and handed him a dossier documenting human rights violations in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. The Prime Minister urged the UN Secretary General to appoint a special envoy on Kashmir. He said it was necessary since India had closed all the doors on any dialogue. The Prime Minister also briefed the UN Secretary General about ceasefire violations by Indian security forces along the Line of Control and said there had been around 600 violations this year alone. He pointed that only today, four people have been martyred by Indian firing.

PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and the UN Secretary General also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and agreed on the need for a negotiated settlement to bring lasting peace in Afghanistan.

The Prime Minister also called for an expansion of UNMOGIP.

The UN Secretary General said Pakistan is very dear to his heart and said he had visited the country many times.

The UN Secretary General said he himself witnessed Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations and he was a great admirer of Pakistan’s efforts in this regard

He said he was also a great admirer of Pakistan’s democratic consolidation.

The Secretary General also fondly recalled his meetings with former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

He also conveyed the gratitude of the United Nations for Pakistan in its peacekeeping efforts.

New York
September 21, 2017.