By Hamza Ameer
Islamabad, May 28 (IANS): Pakistan has categorically rejected an allegation levelled by India, accusing Islamabad of cross-border infiltration, counter-accusing New Delhi for practicing what it called "brutalization" against the people of Kashmir.
Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that "it was New Delhi's brutalization of Kashmiri people, that threatened regional peace".
"Peace and security in the region are threatened on account of India's brutalization of Kashmiri people and refusal to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, and its own pledges to the international community and the Kashmiris.
"Kashmir that was the core outstanding issue between Pakistan and India since 1947, has awaited settlement as per international legitimacy. India's illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, in Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) were against international law and manifestly anti-peace," he added.
Chaudhri went on to say that the movement of freedom from "Indian occupation and state-sponsored terrorism in IIOJK is indigenous and is likely to continue till India decides to act in accordance with the UNSC resolutions, mandating a free and impartial plebiscite in the occupied territory".
The spokesman also advised India to refrain from levelling regurgitating insinuations against Pakistan and focus on "creating enabling environment for a meaningful and result-oriented engagement for resolutions of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as well as any other issues".
Chaudhri's remarks came after Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar claimed that there was a firing incident along the Line of Control (LoC) due to infiltration attempts by Pakistan.
Jaishankar said this during an address at the Stanford University's Hoover Institute.
"We have seen a lot of that mainly because there has been infiltration from their side. There had been an agreement between the director generals of military operations of the two countries to not fire at each other across the LoC, which had seen a lot of firing.
"Ceasefire agreement is a good step but there were bigger issues that needed to be resolved between the two countries. Since 1947, part of the problem has been the use of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan," he added.
Jaishankar said that India's position on the issues with Pakistan is clear that terrorism cannot be accepted.
"If there is thinking in Pakistan along the lines that there needs to be a better relationship with India, than it is important."
Talking about terrorism infiltration from Pakistan, the Minister said: "We cannot accept it as a legitimate, diplomacy or as any other aspect of statecraft."