The Pakistani Foreign Office reacted with a statement in response to the recent comments made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir. PM Modi addressed the people in the region and lamented cross-border acts that had claimed to have disrupted Kashmiris’ lives and sources of livelihood as acts against humanity and “Kashmiriyat.”
Pakistan refuted the charges, especially against it regarding the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that martyred 26 tourists. The Foreign Office termed the charges as “baseless and misleading” and said no concrete evidence had been put forward and warned against what it describes as a move to divert attention from the general human rights situation in the region, which it calls Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The statement also responded to PM Modi’s references to regional development, expressing concern over issues such as heavy security presence, restrictions on civil liberties, and demographic changes. According to Pakistan, such measures raise questions under international legal standards, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.
India, on the other hand, insists Jammu and Kashmir is Indian soil and continues to stress its interest in the state’s administration, development, and safety. Existing efforts, Indian officials add, seek to enhance infrastructure, rev up local economies, and usher in peace and stability after decades of turmoil.
Pakistan reaffirmed its stance of standing with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and appealed to the international community to see that their rights, including the right of self-determination in terms of different United Nations Security Council resolutions, are protected.
This meeting is the latest development in the historic, India-Pakistan conflict over Jammu and Kashmir. For India, it is an internal and sovereign issue, while Pakistan continues to agitate for foreign involvement and a settlement based on the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Recent bi-lateral tensions, like India’s withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty and Pakistan’s responding diplomatic and aviation actions, show continued problems in the region. International actors have urged both nations to resort to constructive dialogue and seek peaceful solutions that serve the interests and good of the people in the region.
