External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement that India’s position on Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) was clear and it expects to have “physical jurisdiction” over the territory one day has rattled Pakistan.
In a statement, Pakistan Foreign Office condemned and rejected “the inflammatory and irresponsible remarks made by the Indian External Affairs Minister regarding Pakistan and AJK”. Pakistan also called upon the international community to take note of the “aggressive posturing”.
India claims the heavily populated Kashmir Valley while Pakistan has a wedge of territory in the west of the disputed region — Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Dr Mohammad Faisal, spokesman for Pakistan’s foreign ministry, said his country’s “position on Kashmir had not changed”. He said Kashmir is a disputed territory that should be resolved in accordance with the United Nations resolutions.
According to Faisal, the statements betrays “utter frustration” of India over the international condemnation it has received over its actions in Kashmir. “These remarks are an obvious manifestation of India’s utter frustration over the continued international censure of its egregious human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” the Foreign Office statement said.
“India cannot divert international attention from its crimes against the innocent people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir by blaming Pakistan,” the statement further said.
“India today is also a unique and deplorable case of a state which promotes hate crimes against minorities and consistently fails to bring to account those who indulge in cow vigilantism, mob lynchings and forced conversions and are guilty of violating India’s own laws. Pakistan calls on the international community to take serious cognizance of India’s aggressive posturing about taking ‘physical jurisdiction’ of AJK,” said the statement.
It further said, “Instead of resorting to jingoistic rhetoric, India must rescind its illegal actions, stop forthwith grave human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, refrain from violating international law, and fully comply with UN Security Council resolutions for a final settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.”
Discussion about this post