UNITED NATIONS, Dec 21: Pakistan will be assuming a non-permanent seat of the Security Council next month at a historic and a crucial juncture of the international politics.

This was stated by the Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, in an exclusive interview.

He said the Security Council was already going through a heavy agenda including the prevailing crisis of Iraq, besides the situation in the occupied Kashmir, Middle East, Afghanistan and a host of issues in Africa and Balkan.

Ambassador Munir Akram said Kashmir would continue to remain a preoccupation for Pakistan in the council, particularly, in the absence of any meaningful attempt by India to resolve the pending issue. He said the continuing crisis of Kashmir was a result of repression on the part of India to crush the entire Kashmiri struggle for the right of self-determination.

Munir Akram said Pakistan’s membership at the Security Council also offered a degree of political space to Pakistan diplomacy to secure resumption of a process to promote peace in the South Asian region by exploring a peaceful settlement.

Discussing the other urgent issues before the council, Mr Akram said Iraq’s file had virtually replaced all other issues in the background. —APP