Mushahid slams Indian minister for 'hawkish remarks'
07 November, 2014
ISLAMABAD: Senate Defence Committee Chairman Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Thursday termed a recent statement of Indian Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, in which he demanded Pakistan to stop negotiations with the Kashmiri leadership or else India will not resume dialogue, as an expression of the "hawkish, irresponsible and arrogant mindset of the new Indian leadership".
He made these remarks as a keynote speaker in a seminar titled "Journey to Peace and Co-Prosperity: The United Nations, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea", at the Institute of Strategic Studies, in collaboration with the Embassy of Republic of Korea. Senator Mushahid said that Pakistan's stance on Kashmir was grounded in the legitimacy of the role of the United Nations and its resolutions on that issue. He said that as recent as June 6, 1998, there was a unanimous resolution of the UN Security Council which refers to the Kashmir question.
"Resolution Number 1,172 of June 6, 1998 urged both Pakistan and India to find out mutually acceptable solutions that address the root cause of the tensions, including Kashmir and this resolution urges the UN secretary general to report to the Security Council on steps taken to implement in this regard," he added.
The Senate Defence Committee chairman supported notion of a nuclear-free zone in Korea and said that a global nuclear policy should be based on universal principles of non-proliferation which should be applicable for a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East as well.
He termed 21st century as the "Asian Century" and said that Pakistan and Korea were partners for progress and peace. He pointed out similarities between the two countries and said that the oldest ceasefire was in Kashmir, while the second oldest ceasefire was in Korea.
He said that peace in both the regions was linked with implementation of the UN resolutions.
Senator Mushahid welcomed United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) Chief Military Observer Major General Delali Johnson Sakyi and UN Representative in Pakistan Timo Pakala and said that the UN had a legal, moral and political responsibility to preserve and promote peace in the world., adding that the UN peacekeepers should take notice of India's repeated violations of the ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC).
He said that Pakistan and Korea had similar positions on expansion of the UN Security Council. "Such expansion should be based on principles of equity, justice and fair representation and not result in creation of new power blocs of monopoly based on size and strength," he added.
Senator Mushahid said that Pakistan was the biggest contributor to the UN peacekeeping as it has 8,250 troops under the UN command.
Earlier, Korean Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Song Jong-Hwan, in his address, said that the purpose to organise the seminar was to highlight Korean efforts at the bilateral and multilateral level with a focus on the Charter of the UN to maintain international peace and security.
On the occasion, a special message from the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was also conveyed to the participants. He congratulated the organisers to highlight the contributions of Pakistan and Korea for the improvement of bilateral relations and to support the global mission of the UN.
UN Representative in Pakistan Timo Pakala also acknowledged that Pakistan has played a key role in the UN peacekeeping programme globally, most prominently in Somalia, Bosnia, Sierra Leone, Congo and Liberia; adding that Pakistan stood as the largest contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping missions in the world.
At the end of the seminar, Senator Mushahid Hussain presented reports of the Senate Defence Committee to the UNMOGIP chief military observer as well as the UN representative in Pakistan.
End.
|
