ISLAMABAD                 -           Pakistan yesterday condemned the irresponsible remarks made by Indian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, at Raisina Dialogue 2020, raising inter alia the usual Indian bogey of “terrorism.”

“We condemn the highly irresponsible remarks, making the repugnant suggestion of putting young Kashmiri children in de-radicalisation camps and seeking to place Pakistan on FATF blacklist,” said a foreign ministry statement.

These remarks, it added, “are reflective of the extremist mindset and bankrupt thinking that have evidently also permeated the state institutions of India.”

As a perpetrator of unabated state-terrorism in the Indian-held Kashmir, the statement said: “India is in no position to pontificate on the issue of terrorism. Indian-held Kashmir has already been turned into the world’s largest prison camp with 8 million Kashmiris incarcerated there since August 5, 2019.”

It said with over 900,000 Indian occupation forces perpetrating egregious violations of human rights; draconian laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act enabling them complete impunity; and over 13,000 young Kashmiri boys abducted from their homes and away from their families, General Rawat’s talk of “de-radicalisation camps” for Kashmiri children is simply despicable. “It cannot be condemned enough,” the statement added.

General Rawat’s remarks on FATF are further proof of India’s repeated attempts to politicise FATF’s technical proceedings for advancing its narrow, partisan objectives, it said.

“Pakistan has consistently sensitized the world community about India’s malicious campaign in this regard. We expect that the FATF members would reject these Indian machinations,” the statement said.

It added: “We also expect that the world community would take cognizance of the Indian government’s desperate attempts to divert attention from the unacceptable situation in held Kashmir, growing domestic protest against discriminatory laws and practices, and its unabashed animus towards India’s minorities. India must be held accountable for its illegal actions.”