Pakistan has said that if India solves the Kashmir issue by fixing the ministers who violate human rights in Kashmir under its administration, talks can be started.
Pakistan has said on Thursday that talks can be started if India solves the Kashmir issue by fixing the ministers who violate human rights in Kashmir under its administration.
During the weekly press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch also spoke about the Kashmir issue and Kashmiri women in connection with International Women's Day on March 8.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: 'On International Women's Day tomorrow, we want to remember the strong women of Kashmir who illegally committed Indian atrocities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.'
According to a Foreign Office spokesperson: 'They have suffered widespread destruction and faced obstacles that impede their access to the necessities of life and their ability to lead dignified lives.'
The spokesperson further said: 'Due to often fake encounters by Indian forces, widowed Kashmiri women do not even get time to mourn their husbands and fathers and are forced to become the sole breadwinners of their families.
"Women heads of households face additional difficulties in society and obstacles in finding decent jobs."
Referring to Hurriyat leaders Asia Andrabi, Nasreen and Fahmida Sufi, the women activists imprisoned in Indian jails, the Foreign Office spokesperson added that 'Kashmiri women have the right to live their lives as they wish, including peaceful assembly and expression of opinion. The right to freedom is also included.
The spokesperson further said: 'Pakistan will continue to provide political, diplomatic and moral support to its Kashmiri brothers and sisters for a just and peaceful solution to the Jammu and Kashmir issue in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.'
The spokesperson of the Foreign Office has given this statement at a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir today, against which a complete strike was announced in the region.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the strike was called by the All-Party Hurriyat Conference and supported by all Hurriyat leaders and organizations, with the aim of demanding a resolution to the Kashmir conflict and the violation of political rights in the Indian-administered valley. A protest against the ongoing atrocities of the Indian Army is to be recorded.
Security has been put on high alert in the Kashmir Valley ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to Indian-administered Kashmir more than five years after the end of its special status, with Srinagar declared a 'red zone' while There are also reports of local youth being rounded up by the Indian Army and police.
According to the Greater Kashmir website, some highways have been temporarily closed for traffic due to security concerns, locals have been barred from non-essential travel and students have been instructed to carry identity cards.
Similarly, surveillance by drones has been increased, more checkpoints and barriers have been installed and additional security officers have been deployed for Narendra Modi's rally.
This will be Modi's first visit to the valley since February 2019, when he inaugurated a hydropower station and chaired a security meeting in the region.
Ahead of the general elections in the country, Narendra Modi is touring various states and his speeches focus on the work done during his two-term government.
Recently, he visited Hindu-majority Jammu in February and inaugurated several development projects.
Narendra Modi will address the rally at Bakshi Stadium and in this address he is expected to announce various development projects.
Local leaders of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expect a crowd of two lakh people, while there are reports of mobilizing civil servants for the rally.
Thousands of officials in over 13 government departments have been asked to send their employees after background checks, senior government sources told The Hindu newspaper. The purpose of the vetting is to confirm that they have no affiliation with any militant group.
Employees of various government departments like Education, Rural Livelihood Mission, Agriculture, Rural Development Department, Handicrafts and others and their families have been enlisted to participate in the rally.
According to one of the lists shared with the departments, around 7,000 employees from 13 departments have been asked to attend Modi's address, and government transport has been arranged to take them to and from them. They will not be allowed to carry anything except mobile phones.