UNSC To Hold Closed-door Meeting Friday To Discuss India's Action In Occupied Kashmir

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to meet behind-closed-doors on Friday to take up Pakistan's request for the 15-member body to deal with the grave situation in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) arising from New Delhi's decision to abolish the special status of the disputed region that have heightened tensions between the two South Asian neighbours

UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Aug, 2019 ) :The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to meet behind-closed-doors on Friday to take up Pakistan's request for the 15-member body to deal with the grave situation in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) arising from New Delhi's decision to abolish the special status of the disputed region that have heightened tensions between the two South Asian neighbours.

"I can confirm that closed consultations on Kashmir have been scheduled for tomorrow (Friday, Aug 16) at 10 am. The meeting is convened upon request of China," a spokesman of the Mission of Poland, which holds the presidency of the Security Council for the month of August, said in a statement on Thursday.

The meeting is scheduled to be held at 10 am (7 pm PST).

On Wednesday evening, Polish Ambassador Joanna Wronecka, who is the 15-member Council's president, told reporters that the Council was likely to hold consultations on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, at the request of China, a permanent member.

Pakistan had called for the Security Council meeting on Monday when Pakistan's UN Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi delivered a letter to the Security Council President from Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, which contained the meeting request.

On Thursday, the Pakistani envoy was updating all Council members individually on the deteriorating situation in occupied Kashmir.

In a number of interviews with international media, Ambassador Lodhi has urged the Security Council to take note of the illegal annexation of occupied Kashmir by India.

"This is an issue of law and justice, and we are confident that the international community, members of the Security Council, will come down on the right side of history," she has said. "The right side of history is to stand by people, who been turned into prisoners on their own land, whose very basic liberties have been curbed, and now their religious freedom has even been curtailed..."In the letter to the UNSC president, Qureshi denounced "recent aggressive actions" by India, saying they "willfully undermine the internationally recognized disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir." He also accused India of "racist ideology" aimed at turning its part of Kashmir from a Muslim-majority into a Hindu-majority territory.

"The Indian actions on August 5, 2019 have opened the way for realization of this fascist policy objective," Qureshi wrote.