Pakistan rejects India’s unwarranted statement on Gilgit-Baltistan

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Sunday categorically rejected Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ irresponsible and unwarranted statement regarding Gilgit-Baltistan.

A foreign ministry statement said India had no locus standi whatsoever on the issue, legal, moral or historical. “For more than 73 years, India has been in illegal and forcible occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Regurgitation of false and fabricated claims by India can neither change the facts nor divert attention from India’s illegal actions and continuing humanitarian crisis resulting from perpetration of the worst human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement said.

Pakistan’s position on the Jammu & Kashmir dispute remains firmly anchored in the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions. The final resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute is only possible through the exercise of the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination by holding free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations, it added.

“Administrative, political and economic reforms are a long-standing demand of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. The envisaged provisional reforms reflect the aspirations of the indigenous populace of Gilgit-Baltistan,” it said.

Foreign Office denounces fake news about Pakistani diaspora in France

Pakistan called upon India to immediately end its illegal and forcible occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir and “comply with its international obligations by allowing the Kashmiris to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.”

Meanwhile, Foreign Office on Sunday denounced the fake news being spread by Indian media about the diaspora in France, misreporting any difficulties being faced by them following the recent developments there.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, in a statement, said that they had noticed some fake news with regard to the Pakistani diaspora in France being spread by some sections of Indian media and dummy Twitter accounts.

“The baseless and misleading information is patently a handiwork of Indian anti-Pakistan propaganda machine working overtime. The Pakistani diaspora in France is law abiding and contributing positively to the French economy,” he said. The spokesperson said that there were no complaints from them of difficulties in the aftermath of the recent developments. He said the official Twitter account of the Embassy of Pakistan in Paris was “@PakinFrance” which should be followed for right information.

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