Pakistan condemns Indian propaganda maligning Kashmiris' struggle by raising 'bogey of terrorism'

Published
26
In this file photo, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad addresses a press conference in Islamabad. — Photo courtesy Radio Pakistan/File
In this file photo, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad addresses a press conference in Islamabad. — Photo courtesy Radio Pakistan/File

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday condemned Indian propaganda to malign the Kashmiris' struggle for the right to self-determination by raising the "bogey of terrorism".

"Pakistan also condemns extrajudicial killings in staged encounters and fake cordon and search operations, as well as arbitrary detentions and crimes against humanity by Indian occupation forces in the occupied valley," FO spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said in a statement.

The statement comes amid a surge in violence in occupied Kashmir in recent weeks, including a spate of attacks on civilians and a widespread crackdown by security forces, has left 33 people dead in the heavily militarised region since early October.

Explainer: What is behind the recent surge in violence in Indian-occupied Kashmir?

"The deteriorating security and human rights situation in the occupied territory is a matter of grave concern for the international community," the FO spokesperson said.

"Pakistan has also been alerting the international community about India’s track record of orchestrating false-flag operations to undermine the Kashmir freedom movement.

"Equally condemnable is the RSS-BJP combine's ploy to demonise Kashmiri Muslims, by stirring up communal tensions," he said.

The FO spokesperson called on India to halt its state-sponsored terrorism, refrain from propaganda against Kashmiris, lift its "suffocating military siege" and let the people of occupied Kashmir exercise their right to self-determination as promised in various United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Earlier today, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also condemned the "unabated spate of extra-judicial killings in occupied Kashmir".

"Indian state-terrorism and [a] brutal military siege cannot break the will of the Kashmiri people fighting for the right to self-determination. Pakistan resolutely supports their just cause," he said.

The fresh wave of killings by local fighters appears to be targeted towards non-Kashmiris, including migrant workers, and members of the minority Hindu and Sikh communities in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley.

In response, Indian security forces have launched a wide crackdown, killing 13 people in the last two weeks in multiple operations across the valley.

Over the past week or so, the Indian military has also been battling insurgents in a forested area in the Jammu region, which abuts the Kashmir valley, and has lost nine soldiers — the most number of casualties in a single operation in recent years.

The assassinations have spread panic among some sections of the population, with scores of minority Hindus and migrant workers fleeing the Kashmir valley towards Jammu and other areas.


Additional input from Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...
Terror and politics
Updated 29 Sep, 2026

Terror and politics

There is an urgent need to tone down the rhetoric and tackle terrorism as a collective challenge for both the affected provinces and the federation.
Watching the glaciers
29 Sep, 2026

Watching the glaciers

THE latest signs from Pakistan’s mountains are worrying. Suparco says the number of unfrozen glacial lakes it...
Dangerous agenda
29 Sep, 2026

Dangerous agenda

AS the world remains fixated on the US-Iran conflict, elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel is consolidating its grip...