New Delhi, Aug 4: India on Tuesday renewed its demand that Pakistan take concrete action against cross-border terrorism, urging Islamabad to dismantle terrorist infrastructure operating from its territory while strongly rejecting the recently held local body elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), calling them a “complete farce.”
Addressing the weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan must end its support for cross-border terrorism and take credible action against terror networks. He asserted that India remains vigilant and will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national security and interests.
Responding to questions on the recently concluded elections in PoK, Jaiswal dismissed the exercise as a sham, alleging that it was aimed at masking widespread public anger and unrest in the region.
“The so-called elections are a complete farce. Such hollow exercises cannot conceal the reality of repression, violence and the denial of democratic rights to the people living in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” he said.
The MEA spokesperson also accused Pakistani authorities of responding to public protests in PoK with force, saying reports of violence, intimidation and suppression had exposed the true situation in the region.
Reiterating India’s long-standing position, Jaiswal said the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, including areas under Pakistan’s illegal occupation, are an integral part of India.
His remarks came amid heightened tensions following unrest in PoK and reports of protests over governance and electoral processes. India has consistently maintained that any electoral exercise conducted by Pakistan in the region has no legal validity and cannot alter its position on the status of the territory.
