Pakistan rejects Indian FM’s claims on Azad Jammu and Kashmir
- Foreign Office says Subrahmanyam Jaishankar misrepresented ground realities and contravened international law
Pakistan rejected on Thursday remarks made by the Indian external affairs minister claiming that the Kashmir dispute would be solved after the “return of the stolen part of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) by Islamabad”.
During the weekly press briefing, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said the remarks by India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar misrepresent the ground realities and contravene the international law.
IIOJK is an internationally recognised disputed territory, he said.
Pakistan rejects India’s ‘fictitious claims’ regarding IIOJK
His statement comes after Jaishankar said that the Kashmir dispute would be solved after the “return of the stolen part of Kashmir which is under illegal Pakistani occupation”.
“I think the path we are waiting for is the return of the stolen part of Kashmir, which is under illegal Pakistani occupation.
When that’s done, I assure you, Kashmir issue is solved,“ the Indian minister while speaking during a session at the Chatham House think-tank in London.
Meanwhile, FO spokesperson said that instead of making baseless claims about Azad Jammu and Kashmir, India should vacate the large territories of IIOJK under its occupation from the last 77 years.“
The spokesperson noted that IIOJK was an internationally recognised disputed territory and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions stipulate “that the final status of IIOJK is to be determined through a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices”.
“India’s prevarication cannot change this reality,” the FO spokesperson added.
“India must realise that a peaceful settlement of the IIOJK dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people is imperative for a lasting peace in South Asia.”
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.