Foreign Office rejects Modi’s latest tirade against Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Friday rejected the latest remarks made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who earlier in the day had again accused Pakistan of the carrying out the Pahalgam attack.

“Pakistan firmly rejects the baseless and misleading remarks made by the Prime Minister of India regarding the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” reads a statement.

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“Such statements represent a deliberate attempt to deflect international attention from the grave and persistent human rights violations being committed in a territory under foreign occupation.”

The reaction comes as Modi is still trying to deceive both the domestic and foreign audience over the Pahalgam issue, despite the fact that he has rejected Pakistan’s offer to hold an impartial probe.

Earlier in the day, Modi in a speech had said, “Our neighbouring country is not only an enemy of humanity and brotherhood but also the enemy of food for poor people.”

“The April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam is a live example of that, when Pakistani terrorists attacked Insaniyat (humanity) and Kashmiryat and wanted to cause riots in India.”

Expressing its dismay, the Foreign Office said the Indian prime minister “has once again chosen to accuse Pakistan of involvement in the Pahalgam attack, without presenting a single piece of credible evidence”.

KASHMIR

About the Kashmir dispute, the statement reads: “Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognised disputed territory, the final status of which is to be determined in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the will of the Kashmiri people. No amount of rhetoric can change this legal and historical reality.”

As Modi tried to boost the so-called development work in Kashmir, the Foreign Office said, “Claims of development in IIOJK ring hollow against the backdrop of an unprecedented military presence, suppression of fundamental freedoms, arbitrary arrests, and a concerted effort to alter the region’s demography in violation of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

About Islamabad’s unequivocal stance, it said, “Pakistan remains steadfast in its principled support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for their rights and dignity.”

On the other hand, the Foreign Office also highlighted the ignored UN Security Council resolutions.

“We call upon the international community, including the United Nations and human rights organisations, to hold India accountable for its oppression and to ensure that the Kashmiri people are allowed to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.”

HEGEMONIC DESIGNS

On Thursday, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said India had hegemonic designs and believed in acting outside the international law, as he criticised New Delhi for its refusal to hold talks.

About the Pahalgam attack, Bilawal reminded the audience that Pakistan had offered an impartial investigation into the matter, but India declined the suggestion and declared Islamabad responsible for the act without any proof.