Pakistan briefs P5 countries on tensions with India

Continuing its efforts to lobby against India, Pakistan on Thursday briefed the envoys of P5 nations over the "escalation of ceasefire violations" by India along the border and the "deteriorating human rights situation" in Jammu and Kashmir.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi briefed the ambassadors of the permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, Britain and the US).

The envoys were also told about the "Indian involvement in subversive and terrorist activities in Pakistan", a Foreign Office statement said.

Fatemi called on the permanent members of the UN Security Council to fulfil their commitment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, through the holding of a free, fair and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices, in accordance with the Security Council resolutions.

Fatemi referred to the "Indian attempts to escalate tensions, as an effort to divert international attention from grim situation" in the Valley.

He also deplored "Indian involvement in subversive and terrorist activities in Pakistan".

Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have plummeted since the past few months, following the January 2 terror attack on the Pathankot air base, which India has blamed on terrorists from Pakistan, and the long unrest in Kashmir Valley, which India has accused Pakistan of fomenting.

The September 18 terror attack on an army camp in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, that left 19 soldiers dead has flared tensions, an attack that India blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

India has said it carried out "surgical strikes" on terror launch pads in Pakistan as retribution.

--IANS

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