Pakistan rejects baseless assertions by India’s defence minister, army chief

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday rejected the baseless accusations and unfounded assertions made by India’s Defence Minister and Chief of Army Staff on 13 and 14 January,  about Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan.

“Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized disputed territory, whose final status is to be determined in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. In this context, India has no legal or moral grounds to assert fictitious claims over the territories of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a press statement.

He said that such rhetoric from Indian leadership could not divert international attention from the grave human rights violations and oppressive measures being carried out in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). These actions suppressed the legitimate and just struggle of the Kashmiri people for their inalienable right to self-determination, it was further asserted.

“Pakistan also underscores that provocative statements of this nature are counterproductive to regional peace and stability. Instead of leveling baseless allegations against others, India must introspect and address its own documented involvement in orchestrating targeted assassinations, acts of subversion, and state-sponsored terrorism in foreign territories.”