Asif rejects Indian defence minister's Kashmir remarks

ISLAMABAD:

 

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday strongly rejected remarks made by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, saying such statements could neither alter the internationally recognized disputed status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) nor distort established legal realities.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Khawaja Asif said India's continued attempts to misrepresent internationally recognised legal facts through intimidation and threatening rhetoric would not change the reality on the ground.

"Pakistan categorically rejects the irresponsible statements made by the Indian defence minister," he said, adding that the remarks reflected yet another attempt to distort internationally recognized legal facts through political rhetoric and coercive posturing.

The defence minister said such statements could neither change the status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir nor contribute to regional peace, stability or meaningful dialogue.

He reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remained an internationally recognized disputed territory, the final disposition of which is yet to be determined in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the freely expressed will of the Kashmiri people.

Asif said Pakistan remained committed to the internationally recognized legal framework governing the Kashmir dispute and rejected any attempt to undermine it through unilateral statements or political rhetoric.