Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday thanked China, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye for not participating in the G20 tourism meeting being hosted by India in Srinagar, Aaj News reported.
In a press conference in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, he said, “I commend China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and other countries who rejected the Indian invitation to participate in the G20 tourism meeting in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir territory”.
He stressed that the countries participating in the conference have also downgraded their participation, reflecting that there was nothing extraordinary about the event.
Bilawal questioned how India planned to promote tourism in an area where half of the local population was in jail and over 900,000 armed personnel were deployed to curb the voices of the local people demanding their right to self-determination.
“Modi government is a huge supporter of terrorist organisations in India which are involved in terrorising Indian minorities including Muslims and Christians.”
“When we speak for the human rights of the Kashmirs, the Indian government states that we are representing terrorists”, he added, “how can they call us terrorists when we have been the victims of terrorism”.
He underlined that Pakistan desired peace.
Regarding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bilawal pointed out, “When I called a butcher, a butcher or a murderer, a murderer, they started crying.”
When he met with foreign dignitaries, the foreign minister said he always raised his voice for Kashmiris’ cause.
He said that as a foreign minister, he represented Pakistan, not a political party.
“We always stand united on the Kashmir cause by setting aside political differences,” he said.
“Kashmir issue is not just a problem of Pakistan and India, rather it is the issue of the people of Kashmir and it has become an international problem which cannot be resolved until the Kashmiris are allowed their right to self-determination.”
He hoped that the struggle of Kashmiris would bear fruit and soon they could exercise their right to self-determination.