'Diplomacy best way to resolve Kashmir dispute'
WASHINGTON:
Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh emphasized that diplomacy was the best way to resolving global issues, including the Kashmir dispute.
He made these remarks during a seminar held at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington.
"The durable settlement of the Kashmir issue and a hope for lasting peace can be best accomplished through diplomacy," the ambassador said.
Ambassador Sheikh stated, "We need to create a situation where India and Pakistan can have a dialogue which is meaningful and consequential. That's the only way forward."
Highlighting the similarities of the conflicts in Kashmir and Palestine, Ambassador Sheikh urged the international community to refocus its attention and play a proactive role in resolving these long-standing conflicts.
"The situation in Palestine and Kashmir affords us this opportunity to accord them a similar status. And if they are both taken together owing to a common genesis, each will reinforce or strengthen the other issue.
"The steps taken by Indian government on and after August 5, 2019, are not legally tenable," the ambassador said.
In this context, the ambassador highlighted relevance of UN Resolution 122, adopted on January 24, 1957, that reaffirmed the international nature of the Kashmir dispute and unambiguously pronounced that any unilateral action by either of the two parties to the dispute would not be a substitute to the prescribed solution of UN-supervised plebiscite.
The speakers at the seminar reaffirmed their unwavering support to the oppressed people of Indian-Occupied Kashmir, and urged the international community to push for a settlement of the decades-old dispute.
The participants highlighted key legal, political and security dimensions of Kashmir dispute, drawing the international community's attention to its ramifications.
They also underscored India's persistent refusal to honour its commitments, the unfulfilled promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the global community, and the implications of India's unilateral action in 2019, which further destabilized the region.
The two-session event drew a diverse audience, including members of civil society, Pakistani-Americans (particularly from Azad Jammu and Kashmir), media representatives, and students from various universities across Washington, D.C.
Special messages from Pakistan's President and the Prime Minister as well as the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister were read out on the occasion, followed by a documentary showcasing the struggle of the people of Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
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