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India on Wednesday hit back at Pakistan's Government including PM Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar over statements on marking the abrogation of Article 370 as 'Youm-e-Istehsal' or day of exploitation. The Ministry of External Affair called this a desperate manoeuvre by Islamabad to spread fabrications and divert global focus from its dismal human rights record and role as a global sanctuary for terrorism.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that New Delhi unequivocally dismisses the "political absurdity" and ongoing futile manoeuvres by Pakistan to observe the so-called Youm-e-Istehsal aimed at propagating hostility against India. Reaffirming India's sovereign position, Jaiswal reiterated that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Ladakh, remain an integral and indivisible part of the nation. "The constitutional changes made on August 5, 2019, are entirely an internal matter of India. These decisions have brought unprecedented socio-economic development, good governance, and democratic empowerment to the people of the region. Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on matters that are strictly internal to India," stated Jaiswal. Addressing Islamabad's attempts to obscure its domestic turmoil, the MEA official highlighted the contrast between administrative progress within India and the severe repression carried out by Pakistani authorities against populations under its illegal control. "The international community is currently witnessing the brutal suppression of fundamental rights in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Recent weeks have seen Pakistani security forces resort to lethal violence, targeted killings, and draconian bans to silence peaceful civil rights protests led by the local populace. Such state-sponsored violence against unarmed civilians exposes the profound hypocrisy of the Pakistani establishment," he mentioned. Calling out the regime in Islamabad for orchestrating diplomatic rhetoric while fostering cross-border militancy, Jaiswal urged Pakistan to address human rights violations in PoJK and relinquish occupied Indian territories. "Instead of engaging in predictable diplomatic theatre, Pakistan would be well advised to stop the bloodshed in PoJK, take credible, verifiable, and irreversible action against terror networks operating from its soil, and immediately vacate all Indian territories under its illegal and forcible occupation. The world is not fooled by these orchestrated spectacles," Jaiswal added. The response comes as India marks the anniversary of the 2019 constitutional changes that revoked the temporary special status of Jammu and Kashmir, ushering in comprehensive integration. Over the past seven years, the region has logged steady progress in infrastructure, education, tourism, and civic administration. Conversely, PoJK remains gripped by civil unrest, security crackdowns, and continuous public agitation against state repression. New Delhi has repeatedly exposed the "cosmetic electoral exercise" conducted in PoJK as a front meant to disguise unlawful occupation and ongoing human rights abuses. "As we have stated earlier, the ongoing mass protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, of which you are aware, you would have seen the latest visuals from there, are the direct consequences of its economic exploitation, its denial of fundamental rights to the people, and their administrative oppression," Jaiswal had stated earlier. (ANI)
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