Obliged to raise voice for 'oppressed' Kashmiris: Nawaz Sharif

Islamabad: Needling India yet again, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said that he was "obliged" to become the voice of the "oppressed" people of Kashmir and would "leave no stone unturned" to make the world understand the "plight" of the people in the Valley. Sharif chaired a preparatory meeting for the upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA) attended by his foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz, special assistant on foreign affairs Tariq Fatemi, foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Pakistan's permanent representative in the UN Maleeha Lodhi, and Pakistan's ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani and other senior officials. The meeting reviewed the agendas to be included in the next session of UN General Assembly in which the premier is expected to participate, said a statement from his office. "It is an obligation for me as Prime Minister of Pakistan to become the voice of Kashmiris who have been oppressed in Kashmir. I will leave no stone unturned to make the world understand the plight and the legitimate struggle of the people of Kashmir,"said Sharif. The meeting observed that "Kashmir remains an unfinished agenda of the UN and accordingly India must realise that Kashmir is not its internal matter, rather it is a matter of regional and international concern". Sharif said that the denial of right of self-determination for Kashmiris is one of the persistent failures of the UN. "The right of self-determination is the basic right of Kashmiris and we will make every effort to make Kashmiris a captain of their own ship," the statement quoted Sharif as saying in the meeting. Last week, Sharif had said Kashmir was witnessing a "new wave of freedom movement" and asked his country's diplomats to appraise the world that Kashmir was "not an internal matter of India". Baluchistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said there were indications that foreign elements were behind the suicide attack. "Our province has been targeted by foreign elements who want to subvert the CPEC and cause law and order situation in Balochistan," he said. The Balochistan police asked the provincial government to constitute a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the attack. It would comprise experts from civil and military departments. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a high-level security meeting in Quetta yesterday and ordered all state security institutions to respond with full might to eliminate terrorists. "Terrorists are using innovating measures by hitting soft targets and one must respond in an advanced coordinated way," he said. Chief Secretary Balochistan Saifullah Chatha briefed the Prime Minister on the situation. The meeting was attended by Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai, Chief Minister Sanaullah Zahri, PM's National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua and Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid. The troubled Baluchistan province has been hit by terror attacks by militants and separatists who demand more autonomy in the province. Outlawed outfits have also carried out sectarian killings of Shia Hazaras and targeted police and security officials.