New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday slammed Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for his comments on the so-called ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’, terming them as yet another desperate attempt by Islamabad to peddle falsehoods that are intended solely to deflect international attention from its own dismal human rights record.
India, stated Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, categorically rejects the “political absurdity” and futile attempts by Pakistan to observe the so-called Youm-e-Istehsal to spread malicious propaganda against India.
He reiterated that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are, have always been, and shall forever remain an integral and inalienable part of India.
“The constitutional changes made on August 5, 2019, are entirely an internal matter of India. These decisions have brought unprecedented socio-economic development, good governance, and democratic empowerment to the people of the region. Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on matters that are strictly internal to India,” stated Jaiswal.
The MEA spokesperson mentioned that Pakistan’s desperate attempts to peddle falsehoods are intended solely to deflect international attention from its own dismal human rights record and its status as the global epicentre of terrorism.
“The international community is currently witnessing the brutal suppression of fundamental rights in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Recent weeks have seen Pakistani security forces resort to lethal violence, targeted killings, and draconian bans to silence peaceful civil rights protests led by the local populace. Such state-sponsored violence against unarmed civilians exposes the profound hypocrisy of the Pakistani establishment,” he mentioned.
“Instead of engaging in predictable diplomatic theatre, Pakistan would be well-advised to stop the bloodshed in PoJK, take credible, verifiable, and irreversible action against terror networks operating from its soil, and immediately vacate all Indian territories under its illegal and forcible occupation. The world is not fooled by these orchestrated spectacles,” Jaiswal added.
India on Wednesday is observing the anniversary of the constitutional changes of 2019 that ended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and integrated it fully into the Union.
Seven years after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed significant progress in infrastructure, education, tourism and connectivity.
On the other hand, protests, crackdown and a population in open agitation against the very state that claims to be its protector, have been witnessed in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
New Delhi has maintained that the “cosmetic electoral exercise” in PoJK is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its grave human rights violations in the region.
“As we have stated earlier, the ongoing mass protests in the Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir, of which you are aware, you would have seen the latest visuals from there, are the direct consequences of its economic exploitation, its denial of fundamental rights to the people, and their administrative oppression,” Jaiswal has stated earlier.
(IANS)
