ISLAMABAD, Feb 11 (APP): Pakistan on Thursday expressed “disappointment” over a tweet by the United States State Department for making a reference regarding Jammu and Kashmir “inconsistent” with its disputed status.
The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, US State Department in its tweet on February 10 had mentioned the reference as “India’s Jammu & Kashmir” while welcoming the resumption of 4G services.
“We are disappointed to note the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the US Department of State’s tweet regarding the resumption of 4G mobile internet in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in response to media queries.
The spokesperson said the reference was “inconsistent” with the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir as recognized by numerous United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and the international community.
“Jammu and Kashmir is one of the oldest items on the agenda of the UNSC, which remains unresolved because of India’s intransigence and unwillingness to implement the relevant UNSC resolutions and its own solemn commitments made to Pakistan, the Kashmiris and the international community,” he added.
The spokesperson said the political and economic progress of the people of Jammu and Kashmir was inextricably linked to the realization of their desire for exercising the right to self-determination.
He said the international community, including the United States, must urge India to stop its consistent and systematic human rights violations in IIOJK.
“[These included] arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, incarceration of political leaders, ongoing efforts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory, extra-judicial killings of Kashmiris in fake “encounters”, and staged cordon-and-search operations,” he said.
The FO spokesperson called the need for genuine steps to resolve the dispute in a peaceful manner in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions.
