Pak FM writes to UN chief Guterres on Yasin Malik's sentencing

Islamabad, Jun 3: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has written to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres about the sentencing of Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik by an Indian court in a terror funding case, the Foreign Office said on Friday.

A Delhi court last week handed out a life sentence to Malik, one of the foremost separatist leaders of Jammu and Kashmir, saying the crimes were intended to strike at the "heart of the idea of India" and intended to forcefully secede Jammu and Kashmir from the Union of India.

The letter by Bilawal was sent to the UN chief on May 31 as part of Pakistan's ongoing efforts to draw the attention of the international community to the Kashmir situation, the Foreign Office said in a statement. The letter apprises the UN Secretary-General of the circumstances of Malik's conviction, it said.

Bilawal said the conviction of Malik was part of the Indian government's ongoing attempts to "persecute and repress" Kashmiris and their leadership. He said that there was a credible risk of "custodial murder" in case of Malik.

Bilawal urged Guterres to play his role in promoting a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions. He also called upon the international community to prevail upon India to dismiss the charges against Malik to ensure his release.

India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and shall forever" remain an integral part of the country. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda. New Delhi has also told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. PTI