ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday categorically rejected India’s remarks regarding the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), describing New Delhi’s claims as “baseless” and reiterating its position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
In a statement, the Foreign Office dismissed India's objections to the elections and rejected its claim over the region, saying New Delhi’s assertions were part of a broader disinformation campaign.
“India’s outlandish claims are part of a familiar and carefully choreographed attempt to conflate fact with fiction,” the Foreign Office said.
The response came after India objected to the general elections scheduled to be held in Gilgit-Baltistan later this week and claimed that the entire region belonged to India.
The exchange reflects continuing tensions between the two South Asian neighbours over the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region, which has remained a core issue between Pakistan and India since 1947.
Relations have remained strained in recent years following India's August 2019 decision to revoke the special constitutional status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), a move Pakistan has consistently opposed.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s position, the Foreign Office said India continued its “illegal occupation” of the internationally recognized disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated Islamabad’s support for the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people.
“The only just and durable settlement of the dispute lies in the faithful implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the statement said, adding that the resolutions guarantee the Kashmiri people their “inalienable right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices.”
The statement also criticized India’s “systematic human rights violations” in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
“The continued impunity enjoyed by Indian forces under draconian laws imposed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) is another dimension of the state terrorism being perpetrated by India against unarmed Kashmiris,” it said.
Referring to developments since August 5, 2019, Pakistan called on India to reverse “illegal and unilateral actions” in IIOJK.
“Pakistan calls upon India to vacate all occupied territories, reverse all illegal and unilateral actions taken in IIOJK, particularly since 5 August 2019, repeal all draconian laws,” the statement said.
The Foreign Office further urged India to allow the Kashmiri people to exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
General elections in Gilgit-Baltistan are scheduled to take place later this week, with political parties campaigning across the region ahead of the vote.
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