ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has expressed its “strong indignation” over the Indian government’s decision to hold a meeting of G20 in the Indian Illegally-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Foreign Office, in a statement, said the Narendra Modi government announced holding the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting on 22-24 May 2023 in Srinagar.
The FO said, “Scheduling two separate meetings of a consultative forum on youth affairs (Y-20) in Srinagar and Leh in the IIOJK is equally disconcerting.”
According to Pakistan, India’s reckless action is the most recent in a series of self-serving steps to continue its illegitimate occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, the rules of international law, and the UN Charter.
According to the FO, such activities cannot hide the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized conflict that has been on the UNSC’s agenda for more than 70 years, nor can they divert attention from India’s brutal suppression of the people of IIOJK, including its unlawful attempts to alter the demographic make-up of the occupied territory.
“India advancing self-serving agenda by holding events in IIOJK”
The statement added that India again exploits its membership in an important international grouping to advance its self-serving agenda by holding G20 events in IIOJK.
“India has once again shown that it is unable to operate as a responsible member of the international community,” the FO stated. “For a country with a grandiose vision about itself and its place in the world.”
A summit on tourism will be held in Srinagar, and Pakistan has informed other Group-20 (G20) members of its concerns regarding Indian design. As Pakistan has reminded the other nations, Srinagar is a part of the disputed territory. Given that the UNSC is discussing the Indian occupation of some areas of Kashmir, it is an internationally acknowledged truth.
Hence, such a global meeting could not occur in recognized disputed territories. According to reliable sources, India set a date for the G20 summit in Srinagar over objections from China and Pakistan. India announced that the working group meeting on tourism would take place in Srinagar from May 22 to 24 in an update to the G20 calendar on Friday.
New Delhi announced hosting several meetings earlier, including in Run of Kutch adjoining Rajasthan. The Indian plan to host the discussions in the disputed territory had drawn criticism from both China and Pakistan, but the Indians have finally revealed the schedule.
According to the sources, Pakistan is gathering information and would raise the issue at international fora. It’s believed that Pakistan and China are also communicating about the matter.
