Pakistan rubbishes Modi’s ‘democracy in IIOJK’ claim

Pakistan on Saturday strongly rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “preposterous and fallacious” claims about democracy in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), following the so-called election of “District Development Council”.

Modi earlier in the day quoted recently-held controversial elections in IIOJK as an example of democracy while responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who in his recent statement had said there was no democracy in India and those who stand up against the prime minister are labelled terrorists.

“The RSS-BJP brand of ‘democracy’ only means the muzzling of the Kashmiri voice and will, under the bayonets of Indian army guns,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement.

The ‘new chapter’ that the RSS-BJP regime is writing in IIOJK is one marked by brutal military siege since August 5, 2019, egregious violations of human rights in the occupied territory, and untold sufferings of the Kashmiri people, it added.

The statement said the false Indian narratives could neither deceive the Kashmiri people nor would it mislead the international community. “They can’t divert attention from the core issue of the Kashmiris’ inalienable right to self-determination.”

Rather than resorting to diversions and obfuscations, Islamabad said New Delhi should end its illegal occupation and meet its obligation of holding a plebiscite, allowing the Kashmiris to exercise their right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.