Rajnath’s Kashmir remarks unwarranted: Pakistan

FO says country favours peace but is fully capable of thwarting any aggressive designs

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan on Sunday strongly condemned Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s distorted remarks about the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, terming them “unwarranted and totally unacceptable”.

At a recent event held in Jammu, the Indian minister said that Kashmir “is and shall always remain an integral part of India”.

Responding to his remarks, the Foreign Office, in a statement, said that the minister, in his remarks, “distorted the well-established historical facts about the Jammu & Kashmir dispute”. It added that he also levelled baseless allegations and hurled threats against Pakistan.

“This is not the first time that a senior Indian politician has tried to cast aspersions on the legitimate, indigenous and just freedom struggle of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK),” the FO said. “However, provocative statements by Indian political figures cannot alter the reality of IIOJK.”

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Pakistan said that India would be well-advised to introspect as to why, despite imposing draconian laws, holding the entire valley under military siege for decades, imprisoning thousands of innocent Kashmiris and their true representatives and wanton killing of over 100,000 Kashmiris, it has not been able to smother the flame of freedom from the heart of Kashmiris.

“India needs a reminder from history that the Jammu & Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute that remains on the agenda of the United Nations and its solution lies in the implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” it said.

“Pakistan will always continue to lend all possible support to the people of IIOJK in their just struggle to attain their right to self-determination,” it added.

Pakistan also called upon the international community to take practical steps to stop India from the continuing brutalisation of the Kashmiri people and illegal attempts to change the demographic structure of IIOJK.

“Pakistan is a proponent of regional peace and stability,” the statement read. “At the same time, we are fully capable of thwarting any aggressive designs, and we have demonstrated our resolve and capability in this regard on numerous occasions, including in the recent past.”