Pakistani PM urges the international community to resolve Kashmir issue
Speaking on the occasion of Pakistan's 70th Independence Day, newly chosen PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi called on the international community to play a role in resolving the Kashmir dispute. He asserted that the international community must involve itself in order to ensure durable peace in the region. On a positive note, he also signalled Pakistan's openness to amicable solutions to the conflict.
The Kashmir Dispute
The Kashmir dispute is primarily related to the status of Jammu & Kashmir region and disputed claims between India and Pakistan over certain territories including Azad Kashmir. Both countries have fought four wars; in 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999 over Kashmir. India further accuses Pakistan of fueling an armed separatist movement in Kashmir. Moreover, India considers Kashmir a bilateral rather than an international issue.
Conflicts must be resolved: Abbasi
"The people of South Asia have suffered enormously in the last fifty years due to the festering conflicts. Until and unless those conflicts are resolved amicably, people of region cannot achieve prosperity and progress," PM Abbasi noted.
What else did Abbasi say?
Abbasi remembered Pakistan's freedom fighters and noted, that Pakistan can honor their sacrifices by becoming "a free and independent country". Abbasi referred to his own ascension to power as an important event in strengthening the country's democratic culture. He further highlighted that a moderate society, where there is less inequality and guaranteed fundamental rights, makes a state politically stable.
