‘22 envoys to highlight dispute’

Further needling India on the Kashmir issue, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a statement on Saturday declared that 22 special envoys will be dispatched to different parts of the world in order to highlight the Kashmir dispute.

He urged the special envoys of the parliamentarians — nominated by him — to ensure their efforts for highlighting the Kashmir cause across the world so that he can shake the collective conscience of the international community during his address at the United Nations (UN) this September.

This move by Mr Sharif came against the backdrop of escalating war of words between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the continuing unrest in the Kashmir valley that broke out on July 8 after Hizbul commander, Burhan Wani, was killed by security forces. In his statement the PM said, “We will remind the UN its long-held promise of self determination to the Kashmiri people.”

He added that Pakistan will make it clear to India that it was India that approached the United Nations several decades back on Kashmir dispute but now it is not fulfilling its promise.

Emphasising the fact that this anniversary of the UN ought to be a catalyst spurring the body into action, he maintained that the Kashmir dispute is the most persistent failure of the UN and that the world body must establish its relevance.