We urge India to faithfully implement the UN Security Council resolutions on J&K: Mumtaz Zahra Baloch
ISLAMABAD, Sep 12 (SABAH): Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has said that we urge India to remove the ban on all political parties illegally outlawed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK); respect the rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people; release all political prisoners and human rights defenders; and faithfully implement the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that we call on the United Nations Security Council to play its role in preventing Israeli occupation forces from continuing with their genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people and holding them accountable for their war crimes and crimes against humanity.
This was stated by FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch while addressing the weekly press briefing on Thursday.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the 23rd Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Economic and Foreign Trade Activity of the SCO Member State begins in Islamabad on Thursday.
The meeting was preceded by the meeting of the Commission of Senior Officials from 10-11 September 2024 in Islamabad to negotiate the documents to be adopted by the 23rd meeting of the Ministers of the SCO member States responsible for Foreign Economic and Foreign Trade Activities. The two-day Ministerial Meeting is a regular annual mechanism of SCO and will make important contributions in the lead up to the Head of State Meeting in Islamabad.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco, arrived in Pakistan last night for a three-day visit. This is the first ever visit to Pakistan by any Secretary General of IMO.
Secretary General Velasco will hold meetings with Pakistan’s leadership and senior government officials in Islamabad and Karachi.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that today he is participating in the “International Maritime Business and Finance Conference”, in Islamabad. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar is the Chief guest at the Conference.
She said that in his remarks at the Conference in Islamabad, the Deputy Prime Minister underlined the importance of fostering peaceful relations, ensuring shared prosperity and addressing common challenges of security, environmental protection and sustainable resource management. He underlined Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to upholding the highest standards of maritime safety and environmental sustainability. He outlined Pakistan’s priorities for a vibrant blue economy as a key pillar for economic development and for the sustainable utilization of marine resources for economic growth, job creation and environmental stewardship.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the Deputy Prime Minister also explained the importance accorded by Pakistan as a maritime nation to expanding trade in fisheries and maritime trade; promoting coastal tourism and exploring offshore resources including gas and petroleum.
She said that Pakistan strongly condemns the air strikes by Israeli occupation forces on the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in Khan Yunis, Gaza on 10 September 2024, which claimed the lives of 40 civilians. Executed in an area designated as a safe zone for displaced persons by the Israeli occupation forces themselves, constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, she said.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the carnage in Khan Yunis, without prior warning and in defiance of basic protections, demonstrates a disregard for human life and Israel’s genocidal designs against the Palestinian people. The targeting of individuals seeking refuge in a designated safe zone represents a gross breach of international humanitarian law which necessitates the protection of civilian populations and humanitarian zones, she said.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that we strongly condemn the recent decision by the Delhi High Court to uphold the Indian decision to proscribe several political parties, advocating the rights of the Kashmiri people. Banning of indigenous political parties is part of India’s relentless campaign to subjugate the Kashmiri people, stifle dissent, and consolidate its occupation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Parties that advocate the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir are being silenced under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) — a law that has increasingly been used as a tool for repression of the Kashmiri people.
She said that the Indian judiciary’s role in legitimizing these actions follows recent decisions sanctioning the suppression of legitimate political voices in Jammu and Kashmir. Last year, the Indian Supreme Court upheld the illegal and unilateral acts of 2019 in IIOJK.