Pakistan condemns India’s move to turn Kashmiris into minority

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday condemned India’s attempt to bring about demographic changes in occupied Kashmir, saying it was a blatant violation of international law and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

“We understand that the Supreme Court of India is due to deliberate, shortly, on the petitions calling for scrapping of Article 35A of the Indian Constitution,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said in a statement.

“Pakistan condemns any such attempts as these are clearly aimed at bringing about demographic changes in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir,” the statement added.

India’s Supreme Court will hear a case next week seeking to drop the constitutional provision that bars non-residents from moving to the state of Jammu and Kashmir that encompasses the Muslim-majority region.

If passed, it could further escalate tension there.

The spokesperson said any move in that direction would be a blatant violation of international law and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, which prohibited introducing material changes to the disputed territory.

He said the evolving situation in IoK was equally a matter of grave concern. Following reprisal attacks against the Kashmiris in IoK and many parts of India after the Pulwama attack, there had been further heavy-handed steps — including enhanced use of force, large-scale arrests, and incarceration of senior Kashmiri leaders, he added.

Dr Faisal said the large-scale deployment of additional paramilitary forces, and orders by the local administration to hospitals and about sale of fuel and food grains, were contributing towards an atmosphere of extreme intimidation and fear.

“Immediate steps are required to reverse this frenzy and restore calm,” the spokesperson added.

He said the international community should take cognisance of the situation and counsel India to refrain from further escalation, defuse current tensions and resolve issues through dialogue and engagement.

Source: The Express Tribune