Pakistan has strongly condemned and rejected the latest Indian action aimed at illegally changing the demographic structure of India Occupied Kashmir. 

In her weekly press briefing in Islamabad today, Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said voices from around the world continue to condemn the inhuman oppression of the people of Kashmir by Indian forces.

She said that Pakistan has consistently sensitized the international community about the BJP government's designs for demographic change in IOJK to perpetuate India's illegal occupation of the disputed territory against the wishes and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

The spokesperson urged the United Nations and the International Community to take immediate cognizance of the illegal Indian actions and prevent it from changing the demography of the occupied territory and hold it accountable for its persistent violation of international law. 

She called upon India to lift internet restrictions in Occupied Kashmir and underscored that restricting access to the internet violates multiple rights and can be deadly during a health crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

The spokesperson said the Kashmiris in Occupied Kashmir have out-rightly rejected the new law as 'unacceptable." It is indeed, a blatant usurpation of their fundamental rights and an attempt to change the demography and their identity.

Aisha Farooqui said Amnesty International India has also urged the government of India to release all those arbitrarily detained and restore full internet access.

Talking about latest Coronavirus situation, she said Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for debt relief for developing countries to enable them to direct resources to saving precious human lives and shoring up economies against the economic impact of the Covid-19.

She said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Missions abroad have reached out to overseas Pakistani communities, providing them with relief and assistance wherever required.   She said so far, the government has repatriated Pakistan nationals stranded in Qatar, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

She further said plans for repatriation from Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Tashkent, Baku, Baghdad, London and Toronto have been finalized and details of their flight schedule will be announced by PIA, while plans for repatriation of our nationals from other destinations is also under active consideration. 

Replying a question, the Spokesperson welcomed the recent announcement by Afghan leadership on the formation of the negotiation team, which should pave the way towards the commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations process.

She said Pakistan believes it is an important step, reflecting the commitment of the leadership to according priority to peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. She said that Pakistan hopes that all concerned parties will pursue reduction in violence as a common cause in its earnest.

She said Pakistan will continue to support a peaceful, stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan, at peace with itself and with its neighbors.  Aisha Farooqui said that a proposal regarding opening of borders for Afghans stuck in Pakistan is under consideration.

The Spokesperson said like other countries both Pakistan and Iran are also making efforts to control the global pandemic Covid-19 and relevant ant authorities of both countries are in constant touch on issues pertaining to Zaireen.

She said that the US government has earmarked one million dollars for capacity building of health sector staff of Pakistan as well as for better identification and investigation of Covid-19 cases. She said another 1 million dollars from existing funds of USAID have been redirected to help Pakistan fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

Responding a question about Pakistan-China cooperation, she said since the outbreak of Covid-19, Pakistan is in close coordination with the Chinese government. She said Chinese government is following a "double-quarantine" policy for the officials of Chinese companies working on CPEC projects in Pakistan.

The spokesperson said the Chinese government has provided support worth four million dollars to Pakistan for a separate hospital for Coronavirus patients.  

Farooqui Farooqui said another flight reached Islamabad this morning from Beijing which brought relief assistance of almost three million dollars from various Chinese organizations. The relief assistance included protective equipment, ventilators, face masks and testing kits.

(Zahid/Khokhar/Imran/Abdul Rehman)