ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday snubbed Indian over terrorism allegations and the state of minorities.
A Foreign Ministry statement said Pakistan “categorically rejects the remarks by the spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs regarding the state of minorities in Pakistan as well as baseless oft-repeated allegations regarding terrorism.”
It said as a perpetrator of unabated State-terrorism in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and systemic state-sponsored discrimination against its own minorities, “India is in no position to raise the issue of terrorism or minority rights elsewhere.”
“Repeated fabricated accusations by India does not turn a falsehood into truth. Such desperate attempts will not succeed in diverting attention from India’s domestic and foreign policy failures. If anything, these will further undermine India’s credibility as a responsible country”,the statement added.
India, the statement said, must eschew the use of state-terrorism as an instrument of state policy, end its violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people in IIOJK, resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute according to UN Security Council resolutions, and take concrete steps to safeguard the minorities including their right to life and protection of their places of worship as the situation threatened regional peace.
Meanwhile, a senior Indian diplomat was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday to register Pakistan’s strong protest over ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation Forces along the Line of Control on November 12, resulting in the death of one civilian and serious injuries to three others.
Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Rakhchikri and Khanjar Sector of the LoC, 55 year old Muhammad Bashir s/o Shah Wali, resident of Tari Band village Rakhchikri Sector was killed; 23 year old Naveed Iqbal s/o Haji Iqbal; 45 year old Farzana Kausar w/o Haji Iqbal and 19 year old Tayyabah Kausar w/o Naveed Iqbal, residents of Samni village Khanjar Sector, sustained serious injuries, said a Foreign Ministry statement.
The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons.
This year, India has committed 2729 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 21 deaths and serious injuries to 206 innocent civilians, said the statement.
Condemning the targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts are in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct.
These violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security, the statement said.
The statement further said that by raising tensions along the LoC and the Working Boundary , India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the IIOJK.
The Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the Working Boundary.
The Indian side was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.