ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday rejected Indian "baseless and misleading" allegations of cross-border terrorism, saying "India cannot mislead the world community by levelling unfounded allegations against others".

Responding to media queries about the remarks made by Indian Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the Foreign Office spokesperson, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, said that Pakistan rejected the baseless assertions.

With its gross and systematic human rights violations and state-terrorism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), he added that India could not mislead the world community by levelling unfounded allegations against others.

"It is India that has vitiated the atmosphere with its illegal and unilateral measures of 5 August 2019 in IIOJK and with continuous belligerent rhetoric and aggressive actions," he said, adding that the onus was on India to create an enabling environment by rescinding its illegal and unilateral actions, ending its state-terrorism against the Kashmiri people, and agreeing to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with international legitimacy.

"The government of Pakistan calls upon the Indian government to end its illegal and forcible occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir and comply with its international obligations by giving Kashmiris their inalienable right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions," Chaudhri added.

Earlier, while speaking in the Indian Rajya Sabha, Muraleedharan stated: "India desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan. Our consistent position is that issues, if any, between India and Pakistan should be resolved bilaterally and peacefully, in an atmosphere free of terror, hostility and violence".

"India has consistently raised the issue of Pakistan's continued support to cross-border terrorism in bilateral, regional and multilateral platforms," the Indian minister for external affairs further alleged.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020

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