Pakistan has rubbished Indian allegations that Islamabad was behind an attack on military camp in Uri, in Indian controlled Kashmir that left 18 Indian troops dead.
“Pakistan has noted with serious concern the recent spate of vitriolic and unsubstantiated statements emanating from Indian civil and military leadership in the aftermath of yesterday’s attack on Indian occupation forces in the Uri sector of the Indian Occupied Kashmir,” a top Pakistani official said.
Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz termed the allegations as “baseless and irresponsible.”
“It is a blatant attempt on India’s part to deflect attention from the fast deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in the Indian occupied Kashmir since the death of Burhan Wani.”
Ialamabad’s statement is the latest in a series of strong words the two nuclear-armed neighbours have exchanged since the outbreak of violence in Indian-controlled Kashmir around mid-July. The two countries are expected to take their war of words to the UN General Assembly session in New York this week. Indian Home Minister had Sunday right away blamed Pakistan for the attack inside Indian controlled territory, which Pakistan calls Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).
“It needs to be understood that the situation in IOK is not of Pakistan’s making but a direct consequence of illegal Indian occupation and a long history of atrocities that has resulted in over a 100 thousand deaths. More than 100 people have died and thousands injured during the recent episode of protest and ongoing curfew in the occupied territory over the past 73 days. A large number of youth have been blinded by the indiscriminate firing of pellet guns. Nobody has been spared the brute state force including the elderly, wounded patients in hospitals as women and children. This should awaken international conscience,” the statement added.
Aziz, a longtime aide to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, noted that “it was particularly deplorable that the Indian Minister chose to blame Pakistan for the incident even prior to conducting proper investigation.”
“Modi’s statement is part of a pattern to mislead world opinion and cover up India’sreign of terror in IOK.”
