Foreign Office slams Indian army chief for irresponsible allegations

The Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui on Friday strongly rejected the allegations made by the Indian army chief terming them as “irresponsible, false and spurious”.

The Indian army chief General MM Naravane had alleged that Pakistan was “exporting terror” while India was helping its citizens and the world through the coronavirus pandemic.

This allegation by the Indian army cheif came while he was on a two day visit to Indian occupied Kashmir to review the security situation. The region has been under lockdown since last year with little or no access to the internet or communications.

Indian General Nawavane was quoted saying:

It is very unfortunate that at a time when the whole world and India is fighting the menace of this pandemic, our neighbour continues to foment trouble for us,

Aisha Farooqui in a weekly press briefing in Islamabad strongly rejected the allegations saying:

These baseless Indian allegations are patently designed to divert global and domestic attention from India’s state-terrorism and egregious human rights violations, and clamping of fundamental freedoms in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, particularly post August 5, 2019,

It is important to note that India has done repeated ceasefire violations at the Line of Control (LoC) which have resulted in the loss of many lives that not only includes army personnel but civilians too.

Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said in her statement today:

This year alone, Indian occupation forces in occupied Kashmir have committed over 765 ceasefire violations, resulting in shahadat (martyrdom) of 3 civilians as well as serious injuries to 54 innocent civilians,

In 2019, India violated the ceasefire agreement 3,351 times. Pakistan continues to respond to Indian belligerence in a firm and responsible manner.

She also said in her statement that India should respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding. Aisha Farooqui said:

In the interest of regional peace and security, India is once again reminded to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding and maintain peace along the LoC. It must also allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions,

Aisha Farooqui expressed concerns over the repeated human rights violations taking place in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) including the restriction in movement and information despite the growing number of coronavirus cases and fatalities in the region.

The lockdown and and blockage in the area has affected supply of essential items from food to medical equipment and medications during these times of the coronavirus pandemic.

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