India on Wednesday slammed Pakistan after Pakistan observed “so-called Youm-e-Istehsal” to condemn India over the abrogation of Article 370.
It is on this day in 2019, when provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated by the Parliament. Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir was the only state in the country with its separate constitution as per the provisions mentioned in Article 370.
MEA Official Spokesperson said that 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.”
The Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have always been and shall forever remain an integral and inalienable part of India, the official stated.
India noted that the decisions taken to revoke Special Status have brought “unprecedented socio-economic development, good governance, and democratic empowerment to the people of the region.” Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on matters that are strictly internal to India, the MEA stated.
The spokesperson added, “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 epicenter of terrorism. The international community is currently witnessing the brutal suppression of fundamental rights in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). 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.”
India asked Islamabad to stop engaging in “predictable diplomatic theatre” and urged it to stop the “bloodshed” in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir while taking 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.”
Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raked up Jammu and Kashmir issue on Wednesday.
In a post on X, the Pakistan Prime Minister wrote, “As India’s unilateral and illegal actions of 5 August 2019 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) complete seven years, no amount of rhetoric can alter the internationally recognized disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir or deny the rights of its people enshrined in international law and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a social media post spoke about transformation, growth, and constitutional equality in Kashmir.
“Seven years ago, on this day, Articles 370 and 35(A) became history, marking a decisive new chapter in the journey of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh,” Modi wrote.
The Prime Minister detailed how the region has witnessed “wide-ranging transformation” since 2019, with expanded infrastructure and growing opportunities in education, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and sports. He specifically noted that women and marginalised communities-who had been denied their basic constitutional rights for decades under the old framework-have now been empowered through the full application of the Indian Constitution.
Modi also linked the anniversary to the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, whose vision of national unity, he said, “found historic fulfilment on 5th August 2019.”
“We reaffirm our commitment to the progress of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh and to ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to dream big, achieve and contribute to the making of a Viksit Bharat,” the Prime Minister added.