Pakistan lauds G20 countries for skipping India-hosted moot in occupied Kashmir

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Thursday lauded China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt and Oman for skipping the G20 meeting hosted by India in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch appreciated the countries during her weekly press briefing, stating that these countries have stood for international law and for the primacy of the UN charter. 

She said Pakistan had categorically rejected India's move to host the meeting of G20 Tourism Working Group in Srinagar. She said India had clearly failed in hiding the facts in the occupied territory behind a veneer of normalcy, as demonstrated by low level representation and the absence of a number of important invitees at the moot.

The FO spokesperson said India hosted the meeting in occupied Kashmir in complete disregard to the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, principles of the UN Charter and international law. 

She highlighted that the G20 was established primarily to address global financial and economic issues, adding that India had attempted to politicise the forum by holding the meeting in the occupied territory. He said the neighbouring country was exploiting its position as the current Chair to advance its self-serving agenda.

Talking about a letter written by the US Congressmen to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Pakistan, she said the letter contained distorted facts, adding that all actions taken in the wake of the May 9 incidents were in line with the Constitution.