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Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates calls for international accountability, stressing 23 Kashmiris were killed in January alone
Pakistan on Sunday “strongly” condemned the extra-judicial killing of five Kashmiris in India-held Kashmir in two separate incidents and reiterated its call for international accountability of Indian occupation forces.
A statement issued by the Foreign Office said that the five deaths occurred on Jan. 29 and Jan. 3 in the Pulwama and Budgam regions of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “In their unabated reign of terror, the Indian occupation forces have martyred at least 23 Kashmiris in fake ‘encounters’ and so-called cordon-and-search operations in the month of January alone,” it said, emphasizing that this was the result of a “far-right extremist Hindutva ideology” that condones the genocide of Muslims.
“The international community must act to stop this wanton oppression and persecution of the besieged Kashmiris under illegal occupation,” read the statement. “We also reject and condemn the Indian officials’ lies insinuating the killing of an alleged ‘Pakistani’ resistance fighter. The Indian occupation forces are known to kill innocent Kashmiris passing them off as ‘alleged militants’, in the hope of getting monetary rewards or ‘gallantry’ medals,” it added.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan lauded the resilience of the Kashmiri people who remained firm in their just and peaceful struggle for the legitimate right to self-determination, as pledged to them by the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions. “We also reiterate our call on the international community, including the United Nations, to hold India accountable for its gross and systematic human rights violations and crimes against humanity in IOJK, without further delay,” it added.