ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday rejected Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s claims of minority mistreatment, instead saying that India was a “serial violator” of minority rights with a record “marred by egregious and systemic violations”. Jaishankar called out Pakistan for “crimes and atrocities against minorities” during a parliament session, Indian media Hindustan Times reported. He was quoted as saying, “We follow …

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday rejected recent remarks made by India’s foreign minister on Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) as “baseless claims” while asking his country to vacate occupied areas of the region. The statement comes a day after India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, referring to AJK, said the Kashmir dispute would be solved after the “return …

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have urged the international community to put pressure on India to allow the Kashmiri people to freely determine their own future for lasting peace in the region, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. In his message on Kashmir Solidarity Day being observed today (Wednesday), PM Shehbaz highlighted that a lasting peace could …

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have called upon the international community to exert pressure on India to halt its ongoing human rights abuses in the Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), saying Pakistan had always expressed its unwavering solidarity with Kashmiri brothers and sisters and it will continue to extend its full moral, diplomatic and …

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution rejecting India’s unilateral revocation of held-Kashmir’s special status, which was approved with consensus, amid opposition from one lawmaker. The Youm-i-Istehsaal-i-Kashmir Day Resolution, tabled by Safron and Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam, demanded that India release Kashmiri political prisoners, provide humanitarian aid, stop the ongoing violations of human rights and sincerely implement …

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said India’s actions in the held Kashmir since August 5, 2019, demonstrated a complete disregard for international laws, the aspirations of the Kashmiris and the UN Security Council resolutions. In his message on Youm-i-Istehsal — observed on Aug 5 to mark the Indian government’s action of revoking Kashmir’s special status — the president criticised New Delhi for its …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has announced that Pakistan will observe Youm-i-Istehsal (Exploitation Day) on Monday, to mark the fifth anniversary of India revoking Kashmir’s special autonomy and to show solidarity with Kashmiris, the state-owned PTV News reported on Sunday. On August 5, 2019, India’s Narendra Modi-led government stripped the Muslim-majority territory of its special status by repealing Article 370 of the constitution, splitting the former state into two …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday called on the international community to pressure India to restore the special status of Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir, end repression in the Valley, and foster conditions conducive to resolving the longstanding dispute threatening regional stability. The call was made during a briefing for Islamabad-based foreign diplomats at the Foreign Office, where Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi detailed the …

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday advocated for the normalisation of relations with India, expressing Pakistan’s openness to dialogue, while also outlining conditions aimed at easing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who have long been embroiled in disputes. Speaking at the 51st founding anniversary of the government-run think tank Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Mr Dar, …

WASHINGTON: The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington supports direct talks between India and Pakistan but will not tell them how to conduct those discussions. At the regular news briefing in Washington, spokesperson Matthew Miller also emphasised a strong counterterrorism partnership with Pakistan, stating that both countries are committed to maintaining this relationship. “We value our important relationships …