indiaUpdated: Mar 29, 2020 22:50 ISTPakistan has sought to use the Covid-19 outbreak to rake up Kashmir at different forums, including the UN Security Council, where Islamabad’s recent efforts to highlight the issue have gained no traction. In a separate statement, the Foreign Office also called for the release of Kashmiri prisoners and lifting of restrictions in Kashmir in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Pakistan’s Foreign Office said Qureshi’s letter to the UN was in line with the country’s efforts to “continuously highlight the dire human rights and humanitarian situation” in Kashmir. It also raised the “possibility of India staging a ‘false flag’ operation to divert international attention” from the situation in Kashmir. France and other permanent members of the UN Security Council have thwarted efforts by China, acting on behalf of its close ally Pakistan, to raise the Kashmir situation at the world body, most recently in December.

Source: Hindustan Times March 29, 2020 17:15 UTC