Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch clarified that there was no formal meeting between Pakistan and India at the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
During a weekly press conference, she acknowledged that there was informal dialogue between Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Indian counterpart, but no official discussions took place.
Baloch also addressed the situation in Gaza, condemning Israeli occupying forces for what she described as genocide and war crimes, particularly targeting densely populated areas and essential resources. She urged the international community to intervene, halt Israel’s attacks, and hold it accountable for these alleged war crimes.
Additionally, she condemned the targeting of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon and called for an immediate cessation of actions against them. The spokesperson also reiterated that Kashmiris have never recognized Indian occupation.
Earlier, Pakistan has urged the international community to help secure the right of self-determination for the Kashmiri people through a UN-sponsored plebiscite, as proposed by the UN Security Council resolutions, and to end human right violations in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
At the same time, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, spoke of the dire situation occupied Palestine where he said the people remain deprived of their basic human rights, including the right to self-determination.
“The expansion of illegal settlements, the use of excessive force by the Israeli occupation forces, and the blockade of Gaza are serious violations that demand immediate attention from the international community,” the Pakistan envoy told the General Assembly’s Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural matters.
“The crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people in the ongoing escalation must end”, he said in a debate on ‘Promotion and Protection of Human Rights’.
In Occupied Kashmir, Ambassador Jadoon said the use of excessive force, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and restrictions on freedom of expression have been documented in the reports of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and of over two dozen special mechanisms of the Human Rights Council.
These violations, he said, intensified since India’s unilateral and illegal measures of 5 August 2019 designed to impose its ominous final solution on Jammu and Kashmir.
Noting that the international community often emphasizes civil and political rights, the Pakistani envoy said economic, social, and cultural rights remain under-prioritized.
“This imbalance is not only unjust but also perpetuates inequality,” he said, adding that the right to education, health, decent work, and an adequate standard of living are just as fundamental. Root causes of human rights violations must be addressed, such as poverty, hunger, and inequality.
“The current unequal focus on civil and political rights exacerbates the challenges faced by developing countries in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieving meaningful progress on human rights.”
Source: Express Tribune
