NEW DELHI: India on Friday slammed Pakistan of making an open admission of state-sponsored terrorism after a senior aide to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged that Islamabad had trained and armed Mujahideen who have now turned against the Pakistani state. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) also condemned Pakistan’s crackdown on anti-government protesters in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), alleging that more than 40 civilians had been killed.Addressing the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan’s handling of the protests had exposed its treatment of civilians in the region.“As you and all of us have witnessed, the Pakistani establishment continues to unleash ruthless force against peaceful civilians in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This crackdown has resulted in the tragic death of over 40 innocent people, and many more have been seriously injured. It’s the establishment’s absolute disdain for the innocent people of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir that was laid bare when their Defence Minister branded the protesting civilians as enemies,” Jaiswal said.Referring to recent remarks by Pakistan Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Jaiswal said the statement amounted to a public acknowledgement that Pakistan had trained, funded and armed militants who were later sent into India.“The Special Assistant of the Prime Minister [of Pakistan] on Political Affairs has openly admitted that the very Mujahideen that the Pakistani establishment trained, funded, armed, and sent to India have turned their guns inwards, weaponising themselves against the state,” Jaiswal said.The remarks came after Sanaullah, in an interview with Geo News, said: “are the same people we once trained as Mujahideen. We sent them to fight, and today they are hanging around our necks.”India has long accused Pakistan of sponsoring cross-border terrorism, an allegation Islamabad has consistently denied.Jaiswal also criticised the recently held elections in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, calling them a rejection of Pakistan’s establishment.“The so-called elections stand as a humiliating rejection of the Pakistan establishment. Facing a violent regime, the people have requested international organisations for an independent investigation into the unlawful killings. We urged that the international community should scrutinise Pakistan’s actions and hold it accountable for its atrocities,” Jaiswal said.According to ANI, widespread protests have erupted across PoJK over allegations of electoral rigging, political interference and suppression of democratic rights.The United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) has appealed to the United Nations and the international community to intervene over what it described as a worsening human rights situation in the region.In a statement posted on X, the organisation urged international institutions, governments and human rights organisations to take immediate steps to protect civilians, ensure accountability and uphold international human rights law.
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The group specifically appealed to the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Russia and China, as well as international human rights organisations and global media, to respond to the reported escalation of violence in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.India has consistently maintained that Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and has repeatedly raised concerns over Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism and its treatment of civilians in the region.
