Geneva, 11^th September, 2019. Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi yesterday met with President of the Human Rights Council (HRC) Ambassador Coly Seck, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations and, at the United Nations in Geneva. The Foreign Minister discussed with the HRC President the continued and deteriorating human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) in the wake of recent Indian actions of 5 August 2019.

The Foreign Minister highlighted that India was attempting to change the demography of IOJ&K through its illegal and unilateral actions in violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and international law. IOJ&K has been under total lock-down and curfew since 05 August 2019 and Kashmiri people are facing severe hardships.

The Foreign Minister underscored the need for the international community, including the Human Rights Council, to express its solidarity with the people of Kashmir. He expressed that the HRC offers hope, amidst the clouds of uncertainty and suffering, to the people of Kashmir who have been living under occupation for seven decades.

The Foreign Minister appreciated Ambassador Coly Seck for his able leadership of the HRC.