PM Imran warns global community of impending refugee crisis in South Asia
After PM Imran, FM Qureshi cancels Malaysian visit
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday warned the global community of a big refugee crisis in South Asia as a result of the Narendra Modi-led Indian government's policies.
The prime minister, while addressing the first Global Refugee Forum as a co-convener in Geneva, said, "I want to tell the whole world that they should be aware of the biggest impending refugee crisis [in South Asia]."
Elaborating his viewpoint, he said that since August 5, more than 8 million Kashmiris have been under siege because of the lockdown by India. He warned that a humanitarian crisis will follow once the siege ends.
He said that the Indian government ended the special status of occupied Kashmir on August 5 to change the demography of Kashmir from Muslim majority to Muslim minority. "If this is what the professed aim is, we are likely to have another refugee crisis, one that would lead to other crises," he added.
"We know from our past experience that prevention is better than cure. If the world acts right now and puts pressure on the Indian government, we can prevent this crisis.
"It is time for the world to take notice of the situation in Kashmir," the prime minister urged, adding that he had previously also asked the world to pay attention to what is happening in occupied Kashmir. He then pointed to the registration process in Assam and the discriminating legislation regarding citizenship - which the Indian parliament passed earlier this month amid protests - and said these moves by the Indian government were discriminatory measures against Muslims.
Talking about Pakistan's role in handling refugee crisis, he said that Islamabad hosted 1.4 million Afghan refugees and continued this hospitality for 40 years. He added that currently Pakistan was hosting 1.4m registered Afghan refugees while the total number of Afghans in Pakistan are 3m.
He said that Pakistan has also been facilitating Afghan peace process so refugees could go back with dignity. Earlier, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called for a smart and comprehensive plan to address the refugee crisis.
The high commissioner expressed confidence that the global forum would come up with an array of initiatives and pledges to truly express solidarity with the refugees. Upon arrival at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) in Switzerland, the premier was received by Grandi.
The premier arrived in Geneva ahead of the forum. According to a press release issued by the Prime Minister's Office, the premier was accompanied by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood.
LAHORE: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will not attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 as he has cancelled his visit to Malaysia following Prime Minister Imran Khan's similar decision.
According to diplomatic sources, Qureshi was expected to represent Pakistan at the summit after PM Imran informed his Malaysian counterpart about his unavailability.
The KL Summit 2019 is aimed at gathering Muslim leaders, intellectuals and scholars as a platform to identify the problems afflicting the Muslim world and to find solutions to them. The Kuala Lumpur Summit (KL Summit) 2019 can potentially take cooperation between Muslim nations to new heights, ultimately reviving the spirit of the Muslim world.
Notable leaders expected to attend the summit include Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. It is pertinent to mention here that the summit was finalized during a trilateral meeting involving Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia in September in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.