Grave crisis in IoK needs action, not just words: Maleeha Lodhi

NEW YORK (Web Desk) – Pakistani Ambassador to United Nations (UN) Maleeha Lodhi has called for not just words but action on part of the UN to deal with the grave crisis stemming from the illegal annexation of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK). In an interview with Consortium News, an independent American current affairs television channel, Maleeha Lodhi called for action instead of just words on part of the world body to deal with the grave crisis. The Pakistani ambassador highlighted the gravity of the situation in the IoK where people have been suffering under a repressive military lockdown for over a month. She pushed for the implementation of the UNSC resolutions that have pledged the right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people to decide their future. Maleeha Lodhi also urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take steps to prevent a bigger crisis in South Asia. “What has happened in IoK is certainly a flashpoint,” she said, while noting that the secretary-general and other UN officials have made statements in the wake of the ongoing crisis that called for a settlement of the Kashmir dispute. “But we need action. We just don’t need words. We need action. There are already tensions which are at a peak between India and Pakistan, and the situation can snowball into a much bigger crisis,” the Pakistani ambassador warned. Raising concerns about the possibility of a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, she said Pakistan is a responsible nuclear weapon state and does not wish to see any kind of conflict. She said the international community must step in before a bigger crisis takes place. “I think the UN certainly has long-standing obligations, and it also has immediate obligations, including ending the human rights violations that are going on in the IoK,” she said. “India refuses to talk to Pakistan. India refuses to accept mediation, whether it is mediation offered by US President Donald Trump or by the UN secretary-general, and India refuses to abide by it human rights commitments,” Maleeha Lodhi explained. To a question about Pakistani military's statement pledging to exercise all options over IoK, the Pakistani envoy mentioned that the intent of that statement was to say that Pakistan will stand by the people of Occupied Kashmir no matter what.