Pakistan deplores Indian plans to hold 2023 meetings of the G-20 in IoJK, reiterates it is an occupied territory
\n ISLAMABAD
\nPakistan on Saturday strongly rejected and opposed the Indian government\u2019s reported plan to hold a G20 summit (an influential gathering that brings together the world\u2019s major economies) in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) next year.
\nAccording to a report published in The Indian Express on Friday, India has decided to host the meetings of G20 in the disputed region next year and formed a five-member committee to coordinate the event.
\nAn official order issued by IOJK\u2019s housing and urban development department on Thursday revealed that the committee was formed in response to a June 4 communication from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
\nSeparately, a Hindustan Times report said that this would be the first major international summit to be held in occupied Kashmir after the Indian government revoked its special status guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution.
\nIn a statement issued by the Foreign Office today, Pakistan condemned the neighbouring country\u2019s plans, stressing that occupied Kashmir was an internationally recognised \u201cdisputed\u201d territory between Pakistan and India.
\nThe territory has been under forcible and illegal occupation of India since 1947 and this dispute has remained on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council for over seven decades.
\nThe FO observed that India was responsible for \u201cwidespread atrocities and egregious human rights violations\u201d in the region. \u201cSince its illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, Indian occupation forces have killed 639 innocent Kashmiris in extra-judicial murders.
\n\u201cNumerous reports of the UN, including the two commissioned by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2018 and 2019, have re-confirmed ongoing Indian atrocities against the Kashmiri people,\u201d the statement highlighted.
\nIt continued that contemplating the holding of any G20-related meeting\/event in occupied Kashmir was in utter \u201cdisregard of the globally acknowledged disputed status of the territory\u201d and was a \u201ctravesty\u201d that the international community could not accept under any circumstances.
\n\u201cIt is expected that in case of any such controversial proposal from India, which would be designed to seek international legitimacy for an illegal and tyrannical occupation continuing for over 7 decades, the G20 members will be fully cognisant of the imperatives of law and justice and would reject it outright.\u201d
\nPakistan also strongly urged the international community to call upon India to end its gross and systematic violations of human rights in IOJK, revoke its illegal and unilateral actions, and free all political prisoners including the true Kashmiri leaders.
\n\u201cThe only way to lasting peace in South Asia is by granting the people of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir their inalienable right to self-determination as pledged to them in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,\u201d the FO added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan deplores Indian plans to hold 2023 meetings of the G-20 in IoJK, reiterates it is an occupied territory ISLAMABAD Pakistan on Saturday strongly rejected and opposed the Indian government\u2019s reported plan to hold a G20 summit (an influential gathering that brings together the world\u2019s major economies) in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) next year. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-268133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n