ISLAMABAD, May 5 (APP):Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, Friday urged the G20 countries’ political and religious leaders not to participate in the upcoming meeting to be held in Srinagar.
Talking to APP, he said the leaders of various schools of thought, political, and religious parties in Pakistan had appealed to the G20 countries not to participate in any activity in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Ashrafi, who is also the Special Representative of the Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony and Middle East, said IIOJK was a disputed territory and that any meeting or activity there would be a violation of United Nations (UN) resolutions and international law.
He said Pakistan had always talked about resolving the Kashmir issue in accordance with the UN resolutions adding that
if China and Saudi Arabia wanted to play an effective role in the resolution of Kashmir issue, Pakistan would not have any objection to this positive development.
He clarified that the restoration of Pakistan and India relations would be possible through the Kashmir route adding that Pakistan’s desire for peace should not be taken as weakness as it was in the best interest of two billion people of the region.
Ashrafi said if the Kashmir issue was resolved amicably, it would bring peace, progress and prosperity in the region.
He also mentioned that minorities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and other religions, and their worship places, were constantly being targeted in India.
He urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Muslim World League, and the leadership of all religions and sects to express solidarity with the oppressed Kashmiris and minorities in India.
He also informed that an All Parties Kashmir Conference would be held on May 19, in Islamabad under the umbrella of Pakistan Ulema Council.
He termed the participation of Foreign Affairs Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in India, a good decision.
