New Delhi, July 23 (IANS) India on Thursday slammed the “baseless and unwarranted” comments made Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Kashmir and Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) at the 33rd Regional Forum meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila, terming them as yet another “futile attempt” by the Pakistani establishment to deflect attention from its own internal crisis and its well-proven role as a safe haven for global terrorist networks.
New Delhi highlighted that a multilateral forum was once again “cynically exploited” by Pakistan to amplify falsehoods and peddle state-sponsored disinformation.
“India categorically rejects the baseless and unwarranted comments made by the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Pakistan. It is no surprise that a multilateral forum has once again been cynically exploited by Pakistan to amplify falsehoods, peddle state-sponsored disinformation, and divert attention from its own well-documented record of sponsoring cross-border terrorism,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in response to media queries regarding comments made by Dar.
India made it clear once again that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh “have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India” with Pakistan having no locus standi to comment on the same.
“Similarly, India’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty remains consistent. IWT stands in abeyance in response to Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism, including the dastardly Pahalgam attack. IWT will continue to be held in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism,” the MEA statement added.
India said that, instead of pointing fingers at its neighbours and misusing international platforms, Pakistan would serve itself and its people far better by dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil and putting its own house in order.
“We also strongly condemn Pakistan’s continued practice of propagating officially sponsored disinformation, often dressed in religious terminology such as the use of terms like ‘Fitna al-Hindustan’. This is a futile attempt by the Pakistani establishment to deflect attention from its own internal crisis and its well-proven role as a safe haven for global terrorist networks,” the MEA spokesperson stated.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the Foreign Minister level Meetings under the ASEAN framework, including the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Meetings which were held in Manila over the last two days.
–IANS
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