ISLAMABAD: Condemning continuous killing of Kashmiris in India-held Kashmir, Pakistan on Thursday said that Hindu terrorist organisations such as the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), its affiliates and the armed village ‘defence’ committees were committing ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Muslims in the Jammu region.

At a weekly briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that since 2014, when the Modi government took over, Hindu terrorists had been empowered with full support from the state machinery, more so in the held Valley, causing displacement of scores of Muslim families by design.

He said that the All Parties Parliamentary Group on Kashmir in the British House of Commons was holding a three-hour debate at which the Kashmir issue and human rights violations would be discussed. He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was currently visiting Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum, where he held meetings with various leaders and highlighted rights violations of defenceless Kashmiris at the hands of Indian forces.

He said that participation of Pakistan in the World Economic Forum was significant in many ways, adding that a democratically strengthening and economically rising Pakistan had been warmly welcomed by the world’s political and business leaders. Pakistan’s progress had been noted and lauded and had evinced interest of countries, businessmen and investors, he added.

Referring to a session, Mr Zakaria said: “We were proud to see Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy co-chair the WEF session.”

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2017