Pakistan rejects Indian contention on GB

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday summoned a senior Indian diplomat and made it clear that the government completely rejected as “baseless and fallacious”, India’s 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” of India had no legal basis whatsoever. The entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is a “disputed” territory and is recognised as such by the international community”, said the Foreign Office in a statement.

The Indian diplomat was told that the dispute, which is the longest outstanding item on the agenda of the UNSC, 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”, said the Foreign Office.

Earlier on April 30, the Supreme Court of Pakistan instructed the Pakistan government to conduct general elections in Gilgit-Baltitan, under the Election Act 2017.

As the five-year term of the present government in Gilgit-Baltistan comes to a close in June, the Supreme Court ordered setting up of an interim government, which would oversee the elections.

India on Monday had summoned a senior diplomat at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to the Ministry of External Affairs demanding that Pakistan should immediately reverse all of its “illegal actions” in Jammu and Kashmir including ending “illegal” “occupation of the territory.

In a statement the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said, “The government of Pakistan or its judiciary has no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it. India completely rejects such actions and continued attempts to bring material changes in Pakistan occupied areas of the Indian territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Instead, Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.”

India said the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are “an integral part of India by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession”.

Rubbishing this claim Pakistan’s Foreign Office condemned the continuing grave human rights violations by Indian occupation forces in IOJ&K, India was called upon lifting restrictions and communication blackout, releasing illegally detained Kashmiri youth and incarcerated Kashmiri leadership, and withdrawing draconian laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Public safety Act (PSA) in IOJ&K.

Pakistan underscored to the Indian diplomat 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 IOJ&K were illegal. In this 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”, added the Foreign Office.

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 IOK, nor could they succeed in diverting the attention of the international community from the Indian state terrorism and aggravating human rights situation in IOJ&K.