ISLAMABAD, December 12: Pakistan has expressed the desire for an early holding of SAARC Summit to promote regional cooperation.
At his weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said all the other South Asian countries except one have also expressed the desire of early happening of the summit.
He said the 19th SAARC summit will be held in Islamabad and it
is to be seen whether India wants to move forward on SAARC
When asked about the contentious Indian citizenship legislation, the spokesperson said Pakistan and other regional countries have condemned it. He said this act of India is driven by a toxic mix of extremist Hindutva ideology and hegemonic ambitions in the region. He noted that voices are also being raised within and outside India against the discriminatory legislation.
Voicing concerns over the situation in occupied Kashmir, Dr Muhammad Faisal said the humanitarian nightmare is worsening in the valley with continued military lockdown and complete communications blackout. This, he said, is affecting the life and property of millions of Kashmiri people who have been cut off from the rest of the world
Dr Muhammad Faisal said India should immediately restore internet and mobile phone services, release all the prisoners and remove all the draconian laws. He said India should allow international media and human rights observers to visit Occupied Kashmir to independently observe the situation there.-Agencies
