ISLAMABAD   -  Pakistan on Sunday condemned the increasing harassment, illegal arrests and registration of fake criminal cases against journalists and civil society activists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The Foreign Office in a statement issued on Sunday said that the reported attack on Kashmir Press Club on Saturday manifestly reflects India’s entrenched use of brute force and coercion to forcibly silence those raising voices against its horrendous crimes and egregious human rights violations IIOJK.

“Equally condemnable is the increasing use of draconian and inhumane laws including Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Public Safety Act and Armed Forces Special Powers Act with impunity in IIOJK, which reflects India’s colonial mindset,” the FO said. The Foreign Office said India’s state-sponsored terrorism can never weaken the resolve of the Kashmiris for their right to self-determination.

It said that Pakistan calls upon the international community, particularly the United Nations and international human rights and humanitarian bodies to hold India accountable for its unabated harassment and illegal arrests of journalists, human rights defenders and other civil society activists in IIOJK.

Pakistan yesterday said that India has crossed a scientific model of 10 stages of Muslims’ genocide.

In response to a recent warning of Genocide of Muslims by Gregory Stanton, President Genocide Watch,  Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said Stanton had made remarks during a US Congressional briefing titled ‘Call For Genocide of Indian Muslims,’ organised by the Indian American Muslim Council.

“Dr Stanton’s warning is based on data assessed on a scientific model of 10 stages of Genocide. According to this Model, India has crossed all 10 stages, raising serious alarm for the safety of more than 200 million Muslims in India,” he added.

The spokesperson said recalled that Pakistan had been warning of grave consequences for minorities, especially Muslims, due to the extremist ‘Hindutva’ ideology being propagated by the RSS-BJP regime with impunity in India.

“According to Dr Stanton, the genocide process of Muslims in India has been catalysed by: first, Islamophobic anti-Muslim rhetoric of the Indian Prime Minister; second, India’s illegal actions of 5th August in Jammu and Kashmir for Hindu dominance there; and, third, controversial Citizenship Amendment Act specifically aimed against Muslims,” Ahmed remarked.

He said Dr Stanton had warned that genocide may well happen in India, “unless the international community plays its part in confronting ‘Hindutva‘ ideology in India.”