New Delhi: Taking strong umbrage to Pakistan declaring 19th July as “black day” to express solidarity with Kashmiri people over killing of Burhan Wani, India on Friday asked it to desist from further interfering in its internal affairs and destabilising the situation in the region through support to terrorism and other subversive acts.
External Affairs Ministry also hit out at Pakistan for continuing to glorify terrorists belonging to proscribed terrorist organisations, saying it makes it amply clear where Pakistan’s sympathies continue to lie.
“India completely and unequivocally rejects in entirety the decisions adopted by the Cabinet of Pakistan on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We are dismayed at the continued attempts by Pakistan to interfere in our internal matters, where, we reiterate, Pakistan or any other external party has no locus standi,” MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
Further needling India on the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today declared Wani, the slain Hizbul commander, as a “martyr” and said 19th July will be observed as black day to express solidarity with people of Kashmir. He was addressing a special Cabinet meeting in Lahore to discuss the situation in the State.
“Pakistan would continue to extend moral, political and diplomatic support for Kashmiris in their just struggle for right to self-determination,” Sharif was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan.
India also asked Pakistan to desist from further interfering in its internal affairs and destabilising the situation in south Asia through support to terrorism and other subversive acts.
“The self serving actions by Pakistan in the last few days to derive political mileage out of the recent developments in J&K follow planned infiltration and terrorism aimed at India from across the Line of Control and the International Boundary.
“The attempts in Pakistan by various players to ingratiate themselves to the people of J&K in the run up to the so called elections in territories under Pakistan s illegal occupation will not succeed,” Swarup said.
India also hoped that Pakistan will respond constructively to its initiatives for peace and normalising bilateral relationship, Swarup added.
Pak declares Burhan as ‘martyr’; to observe July 19 as black day
Islamabad: Further needling India on the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday declared slain Hizbul commander Burhan Wani as a “martyr” and said July 19 will be observed as black day to express solidarity with people of Kashmir.
Addressing a special cabinet meeting in Lahore to discuss the situation in Kashmir, Sharif termed the “movement of Kashmiris as a movement of freedom”.
“Pakistan would continue to extend moral, political and diplomatic support for Kashmiris in their just struggle for right to self-determination,” the prime minister said.
“The Prime Minister termed Burhan Wani as martyr of independence movement,” Radio Pakistan reported.
He said, the “Indian brutalities will give impetus to the freedom struggle and Kashmiri people will get their right to self-determination for which the whole Pakistani nation is standing behind them.”
The prime minister directed all the relevant departments to highlight the Kashmir issue at international fora. “Seven hundred thousand Indian soldiers deployed in Occupied Kashmir could not suppress the struggle of Kashmiris,” he was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan. On the proposal of Prime Minister Sharif, the cabinet decided that “Black Day will be observed on Tuesday (July 19) against Indian barbarism in Occupied Kashmir.”
The meeting also condemned the terrorist attacks in France, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Turkey and Indonesia. Sharif also announced to convene a joint session of the parliament to discuss the situation in Kashmir. Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said the cabinet meeting was exclusively called to develop a consensus on extending full support to the Kashmirs.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has demanded a UN-backed independent and transparent inquiry into the “extra-judicial” killings in Kashmir, terming the situation there a “grave threat to peace and security”.