Pakistan rejects India’s baseless contention on Gilgit-Baltistan

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday summoned a senior Indian diplomat and conveyed Pakistan’s rejection of India’s baseless and fallacious contention regarding the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s verdict in a matter pertaining to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

It was clearly conveyed that the Indian claim over the occupied state of Jammu and Kashmir as an “integral part” had no legal basis whatsoever, the Foreign Office said in a statement. “The entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is a ‘disputed’ territory and is recognised as such by the international community,” it said.

“The dispute, which is the longest outstanding item on the agenda of the UNSC (United Nations Security Council), stemmed from India’s forcible and illegal occupation of the State of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 in complete violation of international law and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. No subsequent illegal and unilateral Indian actions could or have altered the status of Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory,” it added.

According to the Foreign Office, it was underscored that the only resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was faithful implementation of the relevant UNSC resolutions that recognise the Kashmiris’ inalienable right to self-determination through the democratic method of free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices.

Pending the resolution of the dispute, any unilateral Indian actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir were illegal, the statement said. In that regard, it was reiterated the Indian unilateral actions of August 5, 2019 and subsequent attempts to alter the demographic structure of Jammu and Kashmir, in violation of the 4th Geneva Convention, were illegal and in clear violation of the UNSC resolutions, it added.

It was also emphasised that the baseless Indian contention about Gilgit-Baltistan could neither cover up the atrocities being perpetrated by the Indian occupation forces against innocent, unarmed Kashmiris in occupied valley, nor could they succeed in diverting the attention of the international community from the Indian state terrorism and aggravating human rights situation in occupied Kashmir, the statement added.

The Foreign Office said the Indian government was called upon to immediately reverse all of its illegal actions in occupied Kashmir, including ending illegal occupation of the territory, and let the people of Jammu and Kashmir exercise their right to self-determination as enshrined in the UNSC resolutions.

Reiterating Pakistan’s condemnation of the continuing grave human rights violations by Indian occupation forces in occupied Kashmir, the statement said India was called upon to lift restrictions and communication blackout, release illegally detained Kashmiri youth and incarcerated Kashmiri leadership, and withdraw draconian laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA) in occupied Kashmir.