New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday addressed the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York and said that they are open to dialogue with India on all outstanding issues including Jammu and Kashmir.
During his 20-minute speech, Abbasi urged the United Nations to appoint a special envoy for Jammu and Kashmir to keep a track on alleged India's 'atrocities' on the Kashmiris.
The Pakistan Prime Minister also demanded an international investigation to look into the alleged atrocities and crime committed in Jammu and Kashmir."We ask the UNGC and the high commission of the human rights to send an enquiry commission in Kashmir to verify the nature and extent of India`s human right violations. Secure the punishment of those responsible. And provide justice and relief to the victims," he said.
Speaking about the issue of terrorism and the Afghan conflict, the premier said that Pakistan had sacrificed a lot of lives in the war on terror, and nobody desired peace in Afghanistan more than Pakistan.
"Our counter-terrorism credentials cannot be questioned. We have lost 2,700 lives and sustained 50,000 injuries in this war," he said.
"From sixteen years of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, it is clear that peace could not be restored by the continuing resort to military force. Neither Kabul and the coalition nor the Afghan Taliban can impose military solution on each other."
"Apart from Afghanistan, Pakistan and its people have suffered the most from four decades of foreign intervention and civil wars in Afghanistan," he added.
Prime Minister Abbasi further said, "Galling for Pakistan to be blamed for military and political stalemate in Afghanistan. We are not prepared to be anyone's scapegoat."
Abbasi also stated that Taliban safe havens are located not in Pakistan but in large tracts of territory controlled by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"Cross-border attacks do occur; these are mostly conducted by anti-Pakistan terrorist from safe haven across the border. To end all cross-border attacks we ask the Afghan Government to support and compliment Pakistan's ongoing efforts to strengthen border controls and monitor all movement across it," he said.
The Pakistan Prime Minister also maintained that Islamabad was not prepared to fight the Afghan war on Pakistan's soil.
(With inputs from agencies)
