Foreign minister informs Russian counterpart about IOK crisis

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the phone to inform him about the humanitarian crisis in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Qureshi said the Indian government, through its unconstitutional steps, was trying to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory and its unilateral measures were not only against the UN Security Council resolutions but also violated international laws.

He added that the recent Indian move of stripping the disputed territory of its semi-autonomous status could prove to be a severe threat to the peace and stability of the region.

Qureshi informed his Russian counterpart about the difficulties being faced by the residents of the occupied valley because of the continuous curfew and communications blockade imposed there by the Indian government for the last 10 days.

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He added that the increasing aggression of the Indian security forces against unarmed civilians might push the region towards further deterioration of peace.

Qureshi also told his counterpart of the letter written recently to the UN Security Council president in which a demand to summon an emergency session of the council had been made.

The Russian foreign minister said his country was closely monitoring the situation and stressed the need for resolving the outstanding issues with India through dialogue.

Both ministers agreed to maintain contacts for the peace and stability of the region.

Muslims in Indian Occupied Kashmir spent Eidul Azha in a security lockdown, unable to call their friends and relatives.

Pakistan has formally requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council against the illegal moves by India to change the status quo in the region.

The Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi seeks to snuff out opposition to its move to impose tighter central control over the disputed region.

Tens of thousands of troop reinforcements have been deployed to Srinagar and other towns and villages, turning the picturesque city into a deserted warren of barbed wire and barricades.

Occupation authorities had eased restrictions temporarily on Sunday to let residents buy food and supplies for Eid. But security was tightened again after sporadic protests involving hundreds of people during the day, residents said.

Police vans roamed the streets late on Sunday ordering people to stay indoors.

For Eid on Monday, the Himalayan region’s biggest mosque, the Jama Masjid, was ordered shut and people were only allowed to pray in smaller local mosques so that no big crowds could gather, witnesses said.

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