Pakistan “categorically rejected” on Sunday the Indian government’s attempts to “portray normalcy” in India-held Jammu and Kashmir.
A press release issued by the Foreign Office said that despite the Indian government’s claims, Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) was still under a lockdown, while Kashmiri leaders remained under house arrest.
“Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir continues to be the largest prison in the world with the heaviest deployment of Indian occupation forces since the coercive, unilateral and illegal Indian actions of August 5, 2019 aimed at altering the internationally recognised disputed status of IOJ&K and changing its demographic structure to preempt the results of a UN plebiscite,” the press release read.
The Foreign Office also termed Indian reports that portrayed two farmers, who had inadvertently crossed the border in August, as terrorists as a “farcical attempt”.
“This was despite the fact that the incident was discussed during the weekly military hotline contact between both sides on August 27, 2019 when Indian authorities acknowledged that they were inadvertent crossers and informed Pakistan that routine formalities are taking place after which they will be returned.”
On August 21, two farmers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, identified as Muhammad Nazeem, 21, and 30-year-old Khalil Ahmed, had unintentionally crossed the Line of Control near Hajipir while they were out for cutting grass.
The FO said the Kashmiri leadership – including Hurriyat leaders – remained under house arrest, while the international media continues to highlight the humanitarian nightmare in occupied Kashmir – including the arrests of innocent Kashmiris, kidnappings of young boys to coerce their parents into submission, communication blockade and restrictions on freedom of media.
“Kashmiris are unable to offer Friday prayers in mosques and there are credible reports of shortage of food items, including baby food and medicines,” said the FO.
“Contrary to Indian claims, use of pellet guns continues in a brutal assault by Indian occupation forces against innocent Kashmiris. India has failed to justify why Kashmiris are unable to get in touch with their loved ones through the iron curtain forced by India on IOJ&K, inhumanely cutting off more than 8 million Kashmiris from the rest of the world.”
The FO said these actions had prompted the “international community and international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, to question Indian assertions of “normalcy”, including the denial of permission to the Indian opposition leaders themselves to visit IOJ&K”.
Last month, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar had claimed that Pakistan was trying to create “an alarmist situation” after Indian media, citing unidentified Indian intelligence sources, said that Pakistan-trained commandos have allegedly entered Indian waters to attack port facilities in western Gujarat state. Pakistan Army spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor had rubbished the claims.
On Saturday, the military’s media wing had also issued a press release on the matter, and said that the Indian media’s reports were “yet another attempt to fabricate facts”.
The Foreign Office press release highlighted that Islamabad had “sensitised the international community” about India’s efforts to raise a false flag operation to divert attention from the situation in the occupied territory and blame Pakistan for “[India’s] indefensible actions”.
The statement also denounced “a false and fabricated story”, where Indian authorities had “blamed deaths of some Kashmiris in [the occupied territory] on ‘Pakistani militants'”. The statement referred to a briefing by Indian army officials that was held on September 4.
