Pakistan issues demarche to India over IIOJK "Delimitation Commission" report

Indian side conveyed exercise was farcical, had already been rejected by political parties of IIOJK, says FO

ISLAMABAD:

The Indian Charge d’Affaires (Cd’A) was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday and handed over a demarche conveying the government of Pakistan’s categorical rejection of the report of the so-called "Delimitation Commission" which was aimed at disenfranchising and disempowering the Muslim majority population of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The Indian side was conveyed that this entire exercise was farcical and had already been rejected by the cross-section of political parties in IIOJK. "Through this effort, India only wanted to lend ‘legitimacy’ to its illegal actions of August 5, 2019," a statement issued by the Foreign Office said.

Read more: IIOJK redrawn constituencies give Hindus greater representation

The Delimitation Commission has notified the new boundaries, names and number of seats for the puppet constituent assembly of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

But the foreign office said that the ulterior motive of the Indian government was evident from the fact that, under the garb of so-called delimitation, the representation of Muslims in the re-designated constituencies had been reduced to their disadvantage.

"This shattered the rationale pushed by the Indian government that the ‘delimitation effort’ was aimed to ‘empower’ the local population," the statement added.

However, in reality, the new electoral boundaries would further disempower, marginalise and divide the people of the occupied territory. "It would only pave the way for installing yet another puppet regime backed by the BJP-RSS combine," the statement added.

Also read: Indian forces martyr 62 freedom fighters this year in IIOJK

It was underscored to the Indian Cd’A that the Jammu and Kashmir issue was an internationally recognised dispute and a long-standing item on the agenda of the UN Security Council.

"Any illegal, unilateral and mischievous attempt by India to allow disproportionately higher electoral representation to the Hindu population to the detriment of the Muslim population, is a mockery of all norms of democracy, morality and India’s obligations under the UN Security Council Resolutions and international law."

It was also stressed that the Indian government must refrain from bringing about any illegal demographic changes in the occupied territory, stop forthwith its oppression in the IIOJK, and let the Kashmiri people determine their own future through a free and fair plebiscite under the UN auspices as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.