India rejects Pakistan’s ‘fabricated claims’ over PoK unrest, seeks action
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New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday rejected Pakistan’s “fabricated claims” linking India to the ongoing unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), saying the allegations were a desperate attempt by Islamabad to divert attention from its own failures and alleged human rights violations.
Responding to a query during the weekly media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed allegations made by Pakistan’s Defence Minister, who had blamed India for the violence in PoK.
“Such remarks are desperate attempts by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and deflect attention away from its human rights abuses. We categorically reject these fabricated claims with the contempt that they deserve. The ongoing protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are a direct consequence of Pakistan’s decades-long policy of systemic economic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights, and administrative oppression in areas under its illegal and forcible occupation,” Jaiswal said.
Calling on the international community to take note of the situation, Jaiswal said Pakistan should be held accountable for its actions and alleged human rights violations in PoK.
“The Pakistani state has responded with extreme police brutality, blocking essential supplies and medicines, internet blackouts, and the use of lethal force against unarmed civilians. As you know, several people have also lost their lives. We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds and human rights abuses,” he said.
On June 9, India had also accused Pakistan of spreading fake news and videos in what it described as a “desperate attempt” to conceal its own failures and shift attention away from alleged rights violations during the crackdown on PoK protesters.
“We continue to see in this context a pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan. It is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and deflect attention away from its human rights abuses. There are reports of police brutality in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in which several people have been killed and several others injured. We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds and abuses,” Jaiswal had said.
Reports indicate that dozens of people have been killed and hundreds injured following deadly clashes between law enforcement personnel and protesters in Rawalakot city of PoK.
The clashes erupted days after authorities in the occupied region declared the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) a proscribed organisation under anti-terrorism laws ahead of its planned protest on June 9.
Several international human rights organisations, activists, and the Kashmiri diaspora worldwide have condemned the deaths of civilians in PoK and called for global attention towards alleged abuses by Pakistani authorities in the region.
With IANS inputs