Kashmir dispute impediment to peace in South Asia: Pak envoy
REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, Feb 5: Ambassador of Pakistan to Nepal Arshad Saud Khosa said on Tuesday that the biggest impediment on the path to lasting peace in South Asia is the Kashmir dispute.
“Its effects are not limited to Pakistan and India but the repercussions are felt in the entire region, as well as the world at large,” he said at a talk program held on Tuesday on the occasion of the Kashmir Solidarity Day.
“The Kashmir dispute has not only remained a stumbling block in the friendly relations between Pakistan and India, but it has also forestalled the greater intra-regional economic and social interface, which is so vital for the betterment of billion plus population of the region.”
He added that the first step towards peace and stability in the region, therefore, is lasting peace between the two countries, which can only be achieved by resolving all outstanding disputes.
Pakistan Ambassador to Nepal Arshad Saud Khosa. (Photo: Bhaswor Ojha)
“In view of the precarious nature of the situation where two nuclear armed neighbors are facing each other, the international community must take the situation seriously.
After the recent tensions on LOC which caused killing of soldiers on either side, one fact has been reestablished; the unresolved issue of the state of Jammu and Kashmir has the potential to reignite the flames of Indo- Pak conflict,” a statement issued by the Pakistan Embassy in Kathmandu quoted the ambassador as saying.
The embassy said the Kashmir Solidarity Day, is commemorated as a day when Pakistani populace across the world re-new their pledge to support the peaceful struggle of freedom of their Kashmiri brethren.
“Kashmiris were among the first to be promised their right of self determination by the international community through unanimously adopted UN Resolutions. More than half a century later these commitments remain unfulfilled. Peace would continue to elude South Asia till what is pledged to them is not honored,” read the statement.
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Kashmir Dispute Impediment To Peace In South Asia: Pak Envoy
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