Pakistan raises Kashmir issue at NAM summit

Margarita Island: Continuing with its efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, Pakistan on Sunday raised the matter here at the NAM summit, saying the 120-nation group should be outraged by the situation there.

Aziz, in his address here as the Pakistan delegation head, said peace in South Asia cannot be achieved without the settlement of the issue of Jammu and Kahmir in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

"It is tragic that 60 years after being promised, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are still waiting to exercise their inalienable right to self determination and Kashmir along with Palestine has become one of the longstanding items on the UN agenda," Aziz said.

"We should also be outraged by the horrific images of innocent Kashmiris being killed, maimed and blinded by the use of boot force in Kashmir in the last two months," he said.

Aziz also stated that Pakistan strongly endorses the agreement of heads of state and government in Venezuela to undertake measures to oppose "attempts to equate legitimate struggle for self-determination and national liberation with terrorism".

Aziz asserted that Pakistan fully endorses the NAM position on terrorism and violent extremism.

"We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. ..Pakistan has lost tens of thousands of lives in this fight yet are resolve is firm, our commitment unflinching and our actions tougher and more wide-ranging than ever," Aziz said.

Pakistan has acquired valuable experience in successfully tackling the menace of terrorism in the past three years and therefore is ready to share this experience with other members of NAM, he said.

"My government's focus has been on building a peaceful neighbourhood and regional connectivity and ensuring an environment that fosters cooperation and development. However, in our view peace in South Asia cannot be achieved without the settlement of the issue of Jammu and Kahmir in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council," he said.

His comments came on a day when 17 Indian soldiers where killed in a terror attack on an army base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir by suspected Pakistan-based militants.