Pakistan has rejected India’s criticism of the ongoing elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), saying that New Delhi has “neither the standing nor the moral authority” to question the process.
Speaking at the weekly media briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi rejected the “baseless and politically motivated” remarks by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which had earlier labelled the AJK elections a “farce” and dismissed them as “hollow exercises.”
Andrabi said India’s comments coincided with the seventh anniversary of its August 5, 2019 actions in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which, he said, sought to alter the internationally recognised disputed status of the territory. He said that those measures violated relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, international law and India’s international commitments.
The spokesperson said the AJK elections were being conducted peacefully, transparently and in an orderly manner under the region’s constitutional and legal framework. According to him, the electoral process reflects the democratic aspirations and political will of the people of AJK.
He argued that India, given its continued denial of political rights and democratic freedoms in occupied Kashmir, lacks the moral and legal credibility to comment on elections across the Line of Control.
Andrabi stressed that misinformation and propaganda could not alter the internationally disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir, adding that its final settlement should be determined through relevant UNSC resolutions and a UN-supervised plebiscite reflecting the will of the Kashmiri people.
Responding to India’s references to casualties, he said such claims were intended to divert global attention from violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in occupied Kashmir. He urged India to reverse its August 5, 2019 measures and help create an environment conducive to a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with UNSC resolutions.
He said the prolonged military presence and stringent laws in the territory continued to facilitate demographic changes aimed at altering its Muslim-majority character. He also accused India of systematically suppressing the voices of Kashmiris, arguing that development projects could not replace their political rights.
Andrabi said Pakistan would continue to support the Kashmiris right to self-determination and called on India to withdraw its unilateral measures, end human rights violations and engage in a peaceful settlement of the dispute.
