President Arif Alvi, IPU President Gabriela Cuevas discuss situation in IIOJ&K

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) President Gabriela Cuevas Barron called on President Dr Arif Alvi at President's House on Monday. They discussed the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) The IPU president said that the international community should take notice of the violations of human rights in IIOJ&K. Earlier, President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Gabriela Cuevas Barron called on Prime Minister Imran Khan. During the meeting, the prime minister and the IPU president exchanged views on a wide range of issues related to inter-parliamentary cooperation, Covid-19 pandemic, and regional peace and security. Prime Minister Imran Khan appreciated Gabriela Barron’s contribution as IPU president to advance the role of parliaments and parliamentarians and highlighted the role of IPU in facilitating parliamentary diplomacy. He highlighted the unprecedented global health and economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The prime minister noted that the government’s emphasis had been on saving lives, securing livelihoods, and stimulating the economy. "The 'smart lockdown' policy and other measures taken by the government had led to a significant improvement in the pandemic situation in Pakistan," the prime minister underlined. The prime minister, in his interaction with the IPU president, highlighted the growing wave of ‘Hindutva’ under the RSS-BJP dispensation, which had emerged as a serious threat not only for minorities in India but also for regional peace and security. As a conflict resolution is one of IPU’s key strategic priorities, the prime minister while emphasizing the important role of the international community in resolving the ongoing conflicts in different parts of the world, underscored the importance of just resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute for durable peace and stability in South Asia. The prime minister also underscored Pakistan’s long-standing support for a political solution in Afghanistan and positive contribution towards an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process. Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani also attended the meeting. Later, IPU President Gabriela Cuevas Barron called on Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood was also present. Sharing his long parliamentary experience, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi highlighted the instrumental role the IPU and parliamentarians could play in promoting democracy, peace and security, human rights and development, and a rule-based multilateral system. He highlighted the centrality of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in Pakistan’s foreign policy. He apprised Gabriela of the worsening human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in the wake of Indian illegal and unilateral actions and year-long inhuman military siege, communication blackout, and egregious violations of human rights. He shared that the aggravating situation in IIOJK had been discussed in various parliaments around the world.