UNITED NATIONS, May 24 : Pakistan Tuesday spotlighted in the UN Security Council the desperate plight of Kashmiri people under Indian military occupation and slammed India for convening a G20 meeting in restive Kashmir in an attempt to project \u201cnormalcy\u201d in the disputed territory.<\/p>\n
Speaking during a debate on ensuring the security and dignity of people caught in the crossfire and addressing the related issue of access to food and essential services, Ambassador Munir Akram said that the key of securing peace and stability South Asia was the just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Security Council resolutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeprivation and hunger are being imposed on the Kashmiri people by the suppression imposed by a 900,000-occupation army, massive violations of their human rights and the progressive expropriation of their properties and means of livelihood,\u201d the Pakistani envoy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is, therefore, sad to see some but not all of the Group of 20 representatives allowed themselves to be used in India\u2019s attempt to portray a false sense of normalcy in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this regard, Ambassador Akram cited the recent words of the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Fernand De Varrenes, who warned against the attempt to \u201cnormalize military occupation, which should be decried and condemned, not pushed under the rug\u201d.<\/p>\n
At the outset of his remarks, he underscored the nexus between hunger and conflict, observing that 70 per cent of the 250 million people who go to bed hungry every day are in areas of armed conflict, the majority of whom are children.<\/p>\n
The Council\u2019s agenda, to the contrary, keeps adding new conflict situations to old and entrenched issues, as hunger continues to grow, impacting people in the Global South, the Pakistani envoy said.<\/p>\n
On Afghanistan, he said that almost 95 percent of Afghanistan\u2019s population exists in extreme poverty.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven as we seek to ensure women\u2019s rights, and end terrorism in and from Afghanistan, the world cannot allow the Afghan people to be consigned to prolonged poverty, he said, adding the Afghan economy must be rapidly revived through the release of Afghanistan\u2019s assets abroad; revival of its banking system; reconstruction of its infrastructure and implementation of the \u201cconnectivity\u201d projects.<\/p>\n
Ambassador Akram commended the UN Secretary-General\u2019s Black Sea Grain initiative to ease the impact of the Ukraine war and accompanying restrictions on food security, hoping that the agreement will be implemented faithfully and fully.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbove all,\u201d he added, \u201cPakistan desires an early end of the war in Ukraine in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter and international agreements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, some 50 speakers, during a day-long open debate, outlined priority action areas for ensuring civilians\u2019 survival, security and dignity.<\/p>\n
As a whole, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community to break the deadly cycle of armed conflict and hunger by addressing underlying causes, strengthening vulnerable countries\u2019 economies, honouring commitments to support nations on the frontlines of the climate crisis and increasing contributions to humanitarian operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cCivilians have suffered the deadly effects of armed conflict for too long,\u201d he emphasized, asserting: \u201cIt is time we live up to our promise to protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, May 24 : Pakistan Tuesday spotlighted in the UN Security Council the desperate plight of Kashmiri people under Indian military occupation and slammed India for convening a G20 meeting in restive Kashmir in an attempt to project \u201cnormalcy\u201d in the disputed territory. Speaking during a debate on ensuring the security and dignity of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[85],"class_list":{"0":"post-333186","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-united-nations"},"yoast_head":"\n