New Delhi: India Wednesday “categorically rejected” Pakistan’s attempts to “spread malicious propaganda” through its messaging on Jammu and Kashmir seven years to the date after Parliament abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution.
“The Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are, have always been, and shall forever remain an integral and inalienable part of India. The constitutional changes made on August 5, 2019, are entirely an internal matter of India. These decisions have brought unprecedented socio-economic development, good governance, and democratic empowerment to the people of the region. Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on matters that are strictly internal to India,” Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
Jaiswal’s statement came after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar both labelled India’s constitutional amendments as “illegal” and a violation of international law.
“Pakistan’s desperate attempts to peddle falsehoods are intended solely to deflect international attention from its own dismal human rights record and its status as the global epicenter of terrorism,” added Jaiswal.
The MEA spokesperson pointed out Pakistan’s ongoing repression in the parts of Jammu and Kashmir it illegally occupies.
“Recent weeks have seen Pakistani security forces resort to lethal violence, targeted killings, and draconian bans to silence peaceful civil rights protests led by the local populace. Such state-sponsored violence against unarmed civilians exposes the profound hypocrisy of the Pakistani establishment,” said Jaiswal.
The official spokesperson called for Pakistan to “immediately vacate” the territories it illegally occupies and to abjure from sponsoring terrorist attacks in India.
On 5 August, 2019, the Indian Parliament passed the constitutional amendment to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The government also revoked the special status granted to the state under Article 370.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar Wednesday commented on the seventh anniversary of the constitutional changes, highlighting that the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are “witnessing a new era of growth, inclusion and opportunity”.
“Under the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi the full application of the Constitution has led to the strengthening of rights, deepening of development and empowerment of those who had long been left behind,” Jaishankar added in his statement on the micro-blogging platform X.
A number of regional parties held demonstrations across the Union Territory Wednesday, including the National Conference and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), calling for restoration of statehood.
The PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti called for the restoration of Article 370.
“The message is loud and clear no amount of manufactured normalcy or carefully crafted narratives can erase the aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Their demand for dignity, justice, and the restoration of 370 remains as strong as ever,” said Mufti in a statement on X.
The Indian government has defended its move, highlighting that the full spectrum of laws applicable to Indian citizens have now been applied to Jammu and Kashmir, which was not possible earlier.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)