Pakistan rejects provocative statements from Indian leaders on Kashmir

Pakistan rejected on Friday provocative statements from Indian leaders “asserting unwarranted claims” over Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, adding that it was witnessing an alarming surge in provocative remarks from the neighbour.

Addressing a weekly press briefing in Islamabad today, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch urged Indian politicians to cease “their reckless practice of dragging Pakistan into India’s populist public discourse for electoral motives”.

However, the FO spokesperson did not mention any specific statement by an Indian leader.

“Fuelled by hyper-nationalism, this inflammatory rhetoric poses a grave threat to regional peace and susceptibility,” Baloch added.

Pakistan denounces India’s decision to outlaw 14 Kashmiri parties

“Historical and legal facts as well as ground realities refute India’s baseless claims over AJK. Despite India’s rhetoric and assertions, Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognised disputed territory,” the spokesperson said.

She said that the UN Security Council resolutions on the region “clearly outline that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir shall be determined by the will of the people through a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices”.

“India would be wise to help implement these resolutions instead of harbouring delusions of grandeur,” the spokesperson added.

Her statement comes after Iran and Pakistan, in a joint statement, highlighted the need to resolve the Kashmir issue through “dialogue and peaceful means based on the will of the people of that region and in accordance with international law”.

Moreover, the spokesperson said Pakistan “vehemently condemns Israel’s barbarianism and its war crimes against the people of Gaza”.

She said the discovery of mass graves at two major hospitals in Gaza has shocked the human conscience.

“Pakistan joins the call by the United Nations for a clear, transparent and credible investigation of mass graves and the massacre of men, women and children by the Israeli occupation forces,” she added.

Meanwhile, the FO spokesperson announced that PM Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had received invitations from Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and World Economic Forum (WEF) Founder and Chief Executive Professor Klaus Schwab.

The premier and the foreign minister will attend the WEF Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy in Riyadh from April 28-29, the FO spokesperson added.

PM to visit KSA from 28th

She further said that PM Shehbaz and FM Dar will also hold bilateral meetings with world leaders, heads of international bodies and other leading personalities on the margins of the event.