India on Tuesday strongly rejected allegations by Pakistan’s Defence Minister linking New Delhi to the ongoing unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and accused Islamabad of attempting to deflect attention from its own “failures" and human rights record in the region.
Responding to a question on the Pakistani minister’s remarks, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the allegations as “fabricated claims" and said the protests in PoK were the result of decades of economic exploitation and denial of basic rights by Pakistan.
“Such remarks are desperate attempts by Pakistan to cover up its own failures and deflect attention from its human rights abuses. We categorically reject these fabricated claims with the contempt they deserve," Jaiswal said.
He said the ongoing protests in PoK were a direct consequence of Pakistan’s “decades-long policy of systemic economic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights, and administrative oppression" in territories under what he described as Islamabad’s “illegal and forcible occupation".
The spokesperson accused the Pakistani authorities of resorting to heavy-handed measures against demonstrators.
“The Pakistani state has responded with extreme police brutality, the blocking of essential supplies and medicines, internet blackouts, and the use of lethal force against unarmed civilians. As you know, several people have also lost their lives," he said.
Jaiswal expressed hope that the international community would hold Pakistan accountable for what he termed its “misdeeds and abuses".
His remarks came after Pakistan’s Defence Minister reportedly blamed India for the recent violence and unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where protests over rising prices, resource distribution and governance issues have periodically erupted in recent years.
The latest exchange adds to the continuing war of words between New Delhi and Islamabad over developments in the occupied Kashmir, with India maintaining that the unrest reflects internal grievances against Pakistan’s administration in the illegally occupied territory.
