Pakistan’s foreign office shows strong indignation for India’s decision to hold G20 meeting in IIOJK
ISLAMABAD: The foreign office of Pakistan today showed its “strong indignation” for Indian government’s decision to hold a meeting of G20 in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) which is a disputed territory.
The FO issues a statement on Tuesday after the Modi government announced its decision to organize the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar on 22-24 May 2023.
“Scheduling of two other meetings of a consultative forum on youth affairs (Y-20) in Leh and Srinagar in the IIOJK is equally disconcerting,” the FO said.
According to the statement, India is exploiting its membership of an important international grouping for promoting its self-serving agenda by holding G20 events in IIOJK.
“For a country that has a grandiose vision about itself and its place in the world, India has once more demonstrated that it is unable to act as a responsible member of the international community,” the FO said.
Earlier, Indian government’s decision to hold G20 meeting in Srinagar in illegally occupied Kashmir has annoyed China and Pakistan.
India said that the G20 Working Group meetings on Tourism would be held in Srinagar from May 22 to 24.
China, a member of G20, is set to boycott the meetings if India insisted on meetings in Sri Nagar, media reports said.
Preparations for the upcoming meetings in Srinagar started in 2022. India is organizing G-20 meetings in 28 states and 8 union territories, including Srinagar.
Pakistan has sensitised Group-20 member countries about its reservation pertaining to Indian design to host a meeting on tourism in Srinagar. Srinagar is the capital city of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan has reminded the G20 countries that Srinagar is part of the disputed area and Kashmir is on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Pakistan, therefore, said that India cannot hold international gathering in established disputed areas.
