Islamabad: Upping the ante on the eve of ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’, Pakistan’s Parliament on Wednesday passed a resolution asking the UN and the world community to play a role in resolving the Kashmir issue even as the government accused India of trying to change the demographic mix of Kashmir by settling non-Kashmiris in the Valley.
The resolution passed unanimously reiterated Pakistan’s continuous political, moral and diplomatic support for Kashmiri people and said that the lingering dispute should be resolved through a “fair and transparent plebiscite”. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Chairman of Kashmir Committee of the Parliament, moved the resolution ahead of ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ being observed in Pakistan on Thursday. The resolution called upon the Indian government to allow human rights organisations to visit the Kashmir Valley.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry accused India of trying to change the demographic mix of Kashmir by settling non-Kashmiris in the Valley.
He levelled the charge during a briefing for ambassadors of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries on the status of the Kashmir issue and “the plight of the Kashmiri Muslims”.
“He (Chaudhry) expressed deep concern over the policies of the present Hindu nationalist BJP Government aimed at changing the demographic makeup of Jammu and Kashmir by settling non-State subjects there and turning Muslim majority into a minority and dividing the population on ethnic, religious and communal lines,” according to an official statement issued after the meeting. (PTI)
