Pakistan Foreign Office against Indian plan to hold G20 countries'meeting in Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday rejected India's bid to convene a G20 summit in Kashmir, saying it hoped members of the group would fully understand the need for law and justice and fully oppose the proposal.

Jammu and Kashmir will host the 2023 meetings of the influential group that brings together the world's major economies. The Union Territory on Thursday formed a five-member high-level committee for overall coordination of hosting the G-20

This is the first major international summit to be held in J&K since the withdrawal of the special status guaranteed by Article 370 of the Constitution and the division of the old state into two Union Territories in August 2019.

In a statement, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, a spokesman for the Pakistan Foreign Office, said that Islamabad had taken note of reports in the Indian media that India was contemplating to hold some G20-related meeting in Jammu and Kashmir" planning to hold some G20-related meetings in Jammu and Kashmir. "Pakistan completely rejects any such attempt by India," Ahmad said.

He said it was a well-known fact that Jammu and Kashmir was an internationally recognized "disputed" land between Pakistan and India and had been on the agenda of the UN Security Council for more than seven decades.

"Contemplating the holding of any G20-related meeting/event in JK, in utter disregard of the globally acknowledged 'disputed' status of the territory, is a travesty that the international community cannot accept under any circumstances," the spokesperson said.

He hoped that in case of any such controversial proposal from India, the G20 members will be fully cognizant of the imperatives of law and justice and would reject it outright. Ahmad said that Pakistan also strongly urges the international community to call upon India to revoke its actions of August 5, 2019, and free all political prisoners.

Tensions between the two nations escalated after the repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5, 2019, which revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. India's decision provoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which lowered diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy from the country.

Pakistan also suspended bilateral trade with India. India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and shall forever" remain a vital part of the country. India assured Pakistan that it wants normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terrorism, hostility and violence.

With PTI inputs