ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday said sustainable peace in the region would remain a dream until the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir was resolved as per the Resolutions of United Nations Security Council and the aspirations of Kashmiri people.

In his virtual address to the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA) from here, he said brutal and inhuman military siege and communications blockade since India’s illegal and unilateral actions of last August, had destroyed life in IIOJK.

The Foreign Minister apprised the meeting that India’s move had resulted in crippled livelihoods and imperiled the core identity of the people of IIOJK.

He stressed that repression against Kashmiris and denying them their fundamental right of self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, was against the fundamental principles of CICA.

Qureshi said Pakistan had always been at the forefront of all international initiatives for promoting peace, tolerance, inter-cultural and inter-faith harmony and respect both at home and abroad.

He reiterated Pakistan’s firm commitment to global and regional peace and stability, and towards the socio-economic welfare of its people through partnerships at regional and sub-regional levels.

“We believe that a peaceful and secure environment, regionally as well as globally, would substantially contribute towards sustainable economic growth and development, reduction in poverty and enhance the welfare of our people,” he said.

Terming as ‘historic’ the launch of Intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha, the Foreign Minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan had long maintained that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan as ‘political solution was the only way forward’.

Qureshi expressed satisfaction that Pakistan’s perspective was now widely shared across the international community and urged upon the Afghan leaders to seize historic opportunity by working for an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.

Successful culmination of Intra-Afghan negotiations remains indispensable for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond, he said.

The Foreign Minister emphasized Pakistan’s facilitation of the process that culminated in the US-Taliban Peace Agreement in Doha on February 29 this year.

Spoilers, he said, both internal and external, could pose formidable challenges that required constant vigilance to guard against their machinations.

He highlighted the alarming situation of the global resurgence of xenophobia, Islamophobia, hatred and acts of violence against minorities.

He pointed out the disproportionate growth in hate speech and stigmatization of Muslim communities and individuals, including happening in Pakistan’s neighbourhood.

He assured Pakistan’s commitment to promoting peace, stability and development in the region.

Qureshi said as COVID-19 affected the entire globe with unprecedented health, humanitarian and economic challenges, the cooperative multilateralism offered the best mechanism to effectively address these issues.

Pakistan like other nations, he said worked for a concerted international effort to fight the pandemic and develop a vaccine accessible for global public good.

He mentioned Prime Minister Imran Khan’s proposal of ‘Global Initiative on Debt Relief ‘ for developing countries to achieve enhanced fiscal capacity and tackle the negative consequences of the pandemic.

The Foreign Minister said Pakistan fully supported China’s Belt and Road Initiative and was proud to be a key player in one of its flagship projects – China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

He said besides Pakistan’s development, CPEC would ensure benefit to Central Asian and Eurasian neighbours.

He expressed gratitude to outgoing Chairman Foreign Minister of Tajikistan for his dynamic leadership of CICA during the last two years and congratulated Mukhtar Tileuberdi, as Kazakhstan assumed the CICA’s chairmanship.