Big diplomatic setback for India, says AJK president

MUZAFFARABAD (APP): Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry has said holding of G20 meeting in Srinagar proved a great diplomatic setback for India as a number of important countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt, Indonesia and Mexico, refused to be a part of the conference held in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“Holding the G20 conference in the disputed area is a violation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir,” he said, adding on the one hand, key stakeholders’ refusal to attend the moot has further highlighted the disputed legacy of the lingering dispute while on the other, worldwide protests held by Kashmiris on the day have internationalized the Kashmir issue, said a statement issued on Tuesday.

The president said the protests were held in more than 15 cities, including New York, London, Brussels and in various European countries. Since August 5, 2019, India has started large-scale changes in IIOJK to grab the territory. He said that the Indian government can not hoodwink the world on Kashmir.

“The world knows well that India has deployed over 900,000 military and paramilitary troops in the region”, he said, adding that what kind of tourism can be promoted in the region that has been classified as the world’s most militarized zone.

Castigating the Indian government for its repressive policies against minorities, especially Muslims, the president said that rising tides of xenophobia and intolerance within Indian society would lead to the disintegration of India and Modi would prove to be India’s Gorbachev.