Pakistan condemns Indian defense minister's remarks on Kashmir dispute

Islamabad (Web Desk): Pakistan on Monday issued a strong condemnation of what it described as the Indian defence minister’s highly provocative and irresponsible remarks concerning the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

“His statement not only distorts facts regarding the UN and internationally recognized Jammu and Kashmir dispute that remains on the agenda of the UN Security Council but also shows Indian government’s deliberate policy to threaten regional and international peace and security,” Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said in an official statement.

Andrabi said that such insinuations were an attempt to divert attention from India’s continued occupation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), its sponsorship of terrorism across the region, as well as its domestic instability.

He further said that while India continued to rely on hostile and aggressive rhetoric, it should not misjudge Pakistan’s determination to respond to any act of adventurism. He noted that the unity displayed by the Pakistani people and the country's armed forces during Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos last year reflected that unwavering resolve.

“Pakistan urges the international community, in particular the United Nations, to take note of India’s continued rouge behavior and to hold it accountable for its failure to uphold the relevant UN Security Council resolutions that guarantee the right to self-determination to the Kashmiris,” the FO spokesperson added.