NEW DELHI: India slammed Pakistan for the so-called Youm-e-Istehsal (Day of Exploitation), which it observes on August 5, saying Pakistan’s desperate attempts to peddle falsehoods are intended solely to deflect international attention from its own dismal human rights record and its status as the global epicentre of terrorism.In a statement, ministry of external affairs (MEA) said the constitutional changes made on August 5, 2019, are entirely an internal matter of India and that these decisions had brought unprecedented socio-economic development, good governance, and democratic empowerment to the people of the region.On August 5, 2019, the government revoked the special status of J&K granted under Article 370 and bifurcated the state into UTs of J&K and Ladakh.“India categorically rejects the political absurdity and futile attempts by Pakistan to observe the so-called Youm-e-Istehsal to spread malicious propaganda against India. Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are, have always been, and shall forever remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, adding that Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on matters that are strictly internal to India.The international community is currently witnessing the brutal suppression of fundamental rights in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), said the official.“Recent weeks have seen Pakistani security forces resort to lethal violence, targeted killings, and draconian bans to silence peaceful civil rights protests led by the local populace. Such state-sponsored violence against unarmed civilians exposes the profound hypocrisy of the Pakistani establishment,” he said.
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“Instead of engaging in predictable diplomatic theatre, Pakistan would be well-advised to stop the bloodshed in PoJK, take credible, verifiable, and irreversible action against terror networks operating from its soil, and immediately vacate all Indian territories under its illegal and forcible occupation. The world is not fooled by these orchestrated spectacles,” added the official.
