Pakistan rejects India's 'gratuitous' remarks on minorities, terrorism

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office of Pakistan on Friday categorically rejected “gratuitous” remarks by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs regarding the state of minorities in Pakistan as well as “baseless oft-repeated allegations” regarding terrorism.

Spokesperson Zahif Hafeez Chaudhri said, as a perpetrator of unabated state-terrorism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) and systemic state-sponsored discrimination against its own minorities, India is in no position to pontificate on the issue of terrorism or minority rights elsewhere.

“Regurgitation of fabricated accusations by India does not turn a falsehood into truth. Such desperate attempts will not succeed in diverting attention from India’s domestic and foreign policy failures,” he said.

“If anything, these will further undermine India’s credibility as a responsible country.”

The spokesperson said India must eschew the use of state-terrorism as an instrument of state policy, end its egregious violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people in IIOJK, resolve the Jammu & Kashmir dispute according to UN Security Council resolutions, and take concrete steps to safeguard the minorities including their right to life and protection of their places of worship.