Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has written a letter to UN Security Council President Zhang Jun and informed him that resolution of the Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India is critical to peace and stability in the region.

In his letter, Shah expressed concern at the death of a man in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir caused by coronavirus. He called upon the UNSC chief to have restrictions on Kashmiris lifted after confirmation of coronavirus cases in the occupied territory.

In a statement issued here on Friday, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said Pakistan would continue to raise its voice against the grave human rights violations in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. She said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s letter to the UNSC chief was part of such efforts. She said that Qureshi tried to draw the world’s attention to the deteriorating situation in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. She said the foreign minister had been keeping the UNSC president updated about the situation in the occupied territory since August 5, 2019.

In the latest letter written by the foreign minister to the UNSC president on March 9, she said, Qureshi rejected the Indian claims that normalcy was returning to the occupied territory, which has been under a complete lockdown since August 5. Situation on the Line of Control and facts about the Indian Chief of Defence’s statement about deradicalization camps for Kashmiri youth have also been highlighted in the letter. In his letter, Qureshi has highlighted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on use of force against Pakistan. Qureshi also highlighted how the Modi-led Indian government was trying to change religious and social demography of the country. He highlighted the anti-Muslim riots, which took place in Delhi in January, and the increasing influence of the extremist Hindutva ideology in the country.