Pakistan assails India over decades-long oppression in IIOJK

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has slammed India over its attempt to use the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to deflect attention from its decades-long oppression of Kashmiris in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

In a statement issued on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) stated that people in IIOJK were subject to widespread violations, in stark contrast to the civil and political rights being enjoyed by those in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

People in AJK continue to actively participate in shaping their democratic future, the MoFA said, adding that Pakistan was committed to upholding their dignity, rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and protest.

"This commitment reflects not only our constitutional responsibility but also our enduring moral obligation to the people of Jammu and Kashmir," the Foreign Ministry added.

Pakistan urged India to fulfil its obligations under international law and the United Nations (UN) Charter about IIOJK, instead of making baseless accusations about AJK.

"The use of brute force, denial of fundamental freedoms, and systematic and grave human rights violations have become the hallmark of India’s state-sponsored terrorism against the innocent Kashmiri people to suppress their just struggle," MoFA stated.

It added: "Efforts to silence dissent, demographic engineering, and the denial of civil liberties underscore the severity of the situation."

The foreign ministry reiterated Pakistan's demand for granting the people of IIOJK their right to self-determination in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Pakistan believes that the path to lasting peace and stability in South Asia lies in the resolution of the Kashmir dispute, the MoFA stated.

The statement comes just hours after formal negotiations between the Jammu Kashmir Awami Action Committee (JKAAC) and a government-appointed team resumed in Muzaffarabad.

The action committee has been staging protests in the AJK with multiple demands, including ending 12 reserved seats for refugees and rolling back "privileges of the elite".