Pakistan urges UN to pressurise India to hold talks on Kashmir issue

Foreign Office spokesman said Kashmiri people cannot be deprived of their right to self-determination for which they have been rendering sacrifices for decades

Pakistan has urged the United Nations to get its resolutions on Kashmir implemented and said that Islamabad wants to resolve all outstanding issues with India through talks as war is not an option.

Briefing media in Islamabad today, Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that it was the responsibility of the UN to solve international disputes, including Kashmir.

"He said Pakistan wants to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir with India through talks, as war is not a solution to any issue. He asked the international community to pressurise India to hold talks with Pakistan for the resolution of Kashmir issue," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

Zakaria pressed that Kashmiri people cannot be deprived of their right to self-determination for which they have been rendering sacrifices for decades.

"Foreign Office Spokesman said Pakistan is effectively taking up the issue with the international community including OIC. He said Ambassadors of EU countries and P-5 countries were briefed by the Foreign Secretary on recent atrocities being perpetrated by the Indian forces and human rights violations in occupied Kashmir. He said Pakistan's Envoys abroad are also briefing to the respective governments and human rights organizations on the issue, " the statement said.

On the Samjhota Express incident, the spokesman said that Islamabad has expressed concern on how the culprits involved in the incident were exhonerated and asked India to share investigations into the incident with Pakistan.

Zakaria said that Pakistan is taking comprehensive steps against terrorism and extremism which were acknowledged by the international community.

Highlighting that military operation Zarb-e-Azb has put terrorism on back foot, he said that Pakistan is also extending cooperation to the neighbouring countries against terrorism.

"He said there is a need for cooperation and harmony among both the countries for peace in Afghanistan and the region," the statement added.

The spokesman also said that Islamabad and Washington have shared goals on defeating terrorism and cooperating each other to eliminate this menace.

He also said that the SAARC Summit will be held in November in Islamabad and preparations for this are underway.