Pakistan warned on Wednesday New Delhi against manipulation of population ration in India-administered Kashmir.
The Parliamentary Committee on Jammu and Kashmir held its 5th meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.
Speaking at a press conference, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi termed the manipulation of population ratio in India-administered Kashmir a “dangerous game”.
He was flanked by committee chairman Fakhar Imam. The foreign minister questioned the need for New Delhi sending reinforcements to the already heavily militarized region.
“There has been a talk of demographic changes, which should be deliberated upon,” he said.
Tensions in Indian-administered Kashmir rose Sunday over the weekend deployment of at least 10,000 paramilitary troops to the troubled region despite authorities’ assertions the move was routine.
New Delhi maintains a deployment of 500,000 soldiers in the Muslim-majority Himalayan region, which has been divided between Pakistan and India since their split in 1947.
Fakhar Imam said that India admitted the Kashmir conflict as an international dispute by requesting US President Donald Trump to mediate it.
He suggested the Government of Pakistan to send high-level delegations to countries that were permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Imam said the delegations should highlight the Kashmir issue.
Qureshi further said that Indian forces routinely violate the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control and it has nothing to do with Trump’s statement on Kashmir.
He said if Pakistan was kept engaged at its eastern border, then this would also impact the situation in Afghanistan. The minister noted that currently, all stake-holders are hopeful for restoration of peace in Afghanistan.
He accused India of setting the worst example of state-sponsored terrorism in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“Human rights violations are being committed in Kashmir and India is running away from reality,” Qureshi told reporters. “Force is being used in occupied Kashmir and the situation there has been worsening.”
Maintaining that Pakistan has a principled stance on Kashmir, he said that both sides will have to reconsider how they need to head forth as the situation in India-administered Kashmir isn’t hidden from anyone.
