Meeting with occupied Kashmir leaders and PM Modi a failure: Qureshi

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has termed the meeting of Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir's political leaders with Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “failure” and called on New Delhi to restore the region’s autonomy.

On Thursday, Modi met politicians from illegally occupied Kashmir for the first time since the removal of the region’s semi-autonomous status almost two years ago.

“Kashmiris have refused to accept India’s actions of 5 August 2019,” Qureshi said, adding that New Delhi cannot continue to use “tools of oppression to subjugate the people of illegally occupied Kashmir.”

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“Yesterday’s meeting in New Delhi on the fate of Kashmir was, by all means, a drama, a PR exercise. There was an admission as well that Kashmir is away from hearts and from Delhi as well”, Qureshi said.

India should lift the ongoing military siege of the region and free Hurriyat leaders, which remain in custody since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution.

Explaining what the Kashmiri leaders demanded in their meeting with Modi, Qureshi said that “they only asked for an end to extrajudicial killings, reversal of illegal and unilateral steps of 5 August 2019 and restoration of the region’s autonomy.”

“It was a failed meeting in my view,” he added.

Qureshi emphasised that the Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmiri leaders who met Modi are those that, at some point, have ruled the region in alliance with New Delhi.

“Even these [Kashmiri] leaders have termed Modi’s repressive policy illegal and a failure,” he added.

Kashmiri political leaders on Thursday said they presented their demand for the restoration of statehood in a meeting with Modi.

“We told the PM that we don’t stand with what was done on 5th Aug 2019,” said Omar Abdullah, leader of the National Conference.

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“We’re not ready to accept it, but we won’t take the law into our hands, we will fight this in court.”

Earlier this month, Pakistan warned India against taking any further steps regarding Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir, saying that it could “imperil the regional peace and security”.

“We remain firm in our commitment to provide all possible support to the people of IIOJK in their just struggle for the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination,” Pakistan's Foreign Office said.