Pakistan condemns Rajnath Singh’s latest statements on Azad Jammu and Kashmir, describing them as reckless and dismissing them as India’s “misplaced rhetoric of aggression and belligerence.”
The Foreign Office issued a formal statement on Monday rejecting the Indian Defence Minister’s remarks in the strongest terms. Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the comments were both provocative and irresponsible, particularly given their bearing on the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Foreign Office Says Statement Distorts Facts on Kashmir Dispute
According to Andrabi, Singh’s remarks misrepresent the internationally recognized nature of the Kashmir issue, which continues to sit on the agenda of the UN Security Council. He argued that the comments reflect a calculated Indian strategy aimed at destabilizing peace and security across the region and beyond.
Singh had stated on Sunday that any future dialogue with Pakistan would be restricted solely to discussions on what he referred to as “Pakistan-administered Kashmir,” according to a report by The News. He further claimed that India’s armed forces had been granted complete autonomy to respond forcefully to any perceived threat, adding that he did not expect any country to challenge India militarily.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office pushed back strongly, suggesting that such statements serve as a smokescreen to shift focus away from India’s ongoing control over what Islamabad refers to as Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The spokesperson also linked the remarks to India’s alleged backing of terrorism in the region and to unrest within India itself.
Pakistan Warns Against Underestimating Its Resolve
The statement cautioned that India should not misjudge Pakistan’s determination to counter any aggressive posturing, referencing the collective response shown by the Pakistani nation and its armed forces during last year’s Operation Bunyan-ul-Marsoos as proof of that resolve.
Andrabi added that Pakistan is calling on the global community, and the United Nations specifically, to take serious note of what it described as India’s persistent disregard for international norms. He urged the world body to hold India accountable for failing to implement UN Security Council resolutions that affirm the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
As tensions between the two neighbors continue to simmer, Pakistan condemns Rajnath Singh’s comments as part of a broader pattern of rhetoric that Islamabad says undermines prospects for a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir dispute.