ISLAMABAD Pakistan on Thursday strongly rejected the remarks made by the Indian External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on Jammu and Kashmir during an event at the Chatham House in London.
At his weekly media briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said the remarks misrepresent the ground realities and contravene the international law.
He said Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally-recognized disputed territory. The relevant UN Security Council resolutions clearly stipulate that the final status of the Jammu and Kashmir is to be determined through a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices. He said India’s prevarication cannot change this reality.
The Spokesperson said we also wish to underscore that any electoral exercise, pursuant to Indian Constitution, cannot serve as a substitute to grant of right to self-determination. Similarly, the decades-old grievances of the Kashmiri people cannot be meaningfully addressed through economic activity down the barrel of a gun.
Shafqat Ali Khan said instead of making baseless claims about Azad Jammu and Kashmir, India should vacate the large territories of Jammu and Kashmir, under its occupation for last seventy-seven years.
He emphasized that New Delhi must realize that a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir 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.
Replying to a question, the Spokesperson said Pakistan has been witnessing an alarming increase in provocative statements from different Indian leaders asserting unwarranted claims on Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He said, however, historical facts, legal principles, moral considerations and ground realities refute all these factitious claims. He said the Indian leaders would be wise to help implement the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir instead of harboring delusions of grandeur.
Answering yet another question about recent arrest of Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) top tier operational commander Shareefullah and his handing over to the United States, the Spokesperson said the intelligence cooperation between Pakistan and the United States is long standing.
He mentioned that Pakistani law enforcement agencies’ efforts against terrorists including Islamic State Khorasan Province have resulted in significant successes. He said Pakistan collaborated with the US and handed over Shareefullah pursuant to the UN Security Council resolutions. He added these operations manifest that Pakistan has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism. He said intelligence cooperation has been ongoing and it is not just first time that this kind of activity happened.
