+ A
A -
AGENCIES
ISLAMABAD
PAKISTAN'S Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani has called on the US and the international community to help resolve the Kashmir dispute and not allow New Delhi to divert world's attention from the atrocities being committed against civilians in India-held Kashmir.
Delivering a keynote address at the World Affairs Council, a Washington-based think-tank Thursday night, The envoy regretted that India was undermining all diplomatic efforts for a dialogue, including its refusal to engage at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) forum.
"The peace and stability in South Asia will not be possible without resolving underlying disputes, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir being the core dispute; measures for nuclear and missile restraint; and balance with regard to conventional arms," Jilani said.
"Pakistan's proposal for a strategic restraint regime, based on these three inter-locking elements, remains on the table," he said.
Pakistan, he added, has positioned itself as a mainstream partner in the international non-proliferation regime as well as the global efforts to strengthen nuclear security and safety.
On the issue of Kashmir, Ambassador Jilani said Kashmir, as a nuclear flashpoint, must not be underestimated.
"The international community and the US in particular need to play a role in seeking a peaceful settlement of Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions," he said.
"The recent indigenous uprising in Kashmir bears testimony to the aspiration of Kashmiri people in seeking what the international community had promised but not delivered," he added.
He emphasised that India must not be allowed to deflect international attention from human rights violations and atrocities in India-held Kashmir, under the pretext of political expediency.
On Pakistan-US relations, the Ambassador shared perspective on trends and prospects in the longstanding relationship and its continuing significance to the foreign policy of Pakistan.
He said"Pakistan enjoys a long-standing strategic partnership with the US and, though the history of our relationship has seen its ups and downs, it has certainly survived multiple tests of times".
