NEW YORK, Nov 27 (APP):Pakistan has called on India to end its military occupation of Kashmir, open up the disputed region to the international community, and let Kashmiri people determine their future in a move to give peace a chance.
“India should act responsibly, in the interest of peace and security in the region,” Asad Majeed Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, wrote in an opinion piece published in The Houston Chronicle on Wednesday, in which he highlighted Islamabad’s peace overtures, including the opening of the Kartarpur for the Sikhs on November 9.
The Kartarpur crossing represents clear message to people across the world – Pakistan is committed to peace, tolerance and inter-faith harmony, he said, citing Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speech during the inauguration ceremony that his government was not just opening its borders, but also its hearts to the Sikh community.
“It seems though that Pakistan’s messages of conciliation continue to fall on deaf ears,” the Pakistan envoy said.
“On the very same day Pakistan opened the Kartarpur Corridor, India’s Supreme Court denied a historically proven Muslim claim to the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, India. The site, where a mosque has existed for centuries, has now been handed over to Hindu extremists on the basis of spurious claims, sending a chilling message to Muslims and other religious minorities in India.
“The stark difference between Pakistan’s overtures in Kartarpur, and India’s intimidation of Muslims and other minorities, has also been on full display in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir for more than 100 days now,” Ambassador Asad Khan added, referring to India’s illegal annexation of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, when the disputed state was placed under a repressive lockdown causing the people immense suffering under nearly 1 million Indian soldiers.
“India’s treatment of Kashmiris is only one, albeit huge, part of the problem. Its unilateral, illegal actions in Kashmir, its belligerent rhetoric and increasingly aggressive posture towards Pakistan, are all also posing a much wider risk to regional peace and security,” he wrote, noting that the frequency of ceasefire violations by India near Kashmir had intensified in past months.
The Pakistani envoy wrote, “Any Indian aggression against Pakistan could very well lead to a wider and more intense conflict between the two nuclear powers. But this is not what Pakistan wants or has ever wanted. In 2018, when our prime minister came into office, he told India, ‘I really want to fix our ties, you take one step forward, we will take two’.
“Instead, by February 2019, Indian jets were dropping bombs into Balakot, Pakistan, under the false pretense of bombing (non-existent) militant camps. Even after an Indian pilot was shot down by Pakistani air force, Khan reiterated his commitment to a constructive relationship with India and released the pilot in a gesture of good will.
“That is why we consider India’s August 5, Kashmir decision as India’s ultimate betrayal of all of our good faith this past year.
“Now, instead of an environment free of violence, India has created a powder-keg in Kashmir and brought South Asia to the brink of armed conflict. Instead of cooperation, it shut down the region, and prevented any credible reporting on the human rights situation and the suffering of the people.
“Even in the face of Indian intransigence, Pakistan has constantly worked to lower tensions with India. We know that peace is how Pakistan achieves prosperity for our people and for South Asia as a whole …
“India must give peace a chance.”