MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan rejected Indian ministers Kashmir claims after Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar’s remarks of March 5 in London, calling them baseless and reaffirming that Jammu and Kashmir’s status must be decided under UN resolutions.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday dismissed recent statements made by India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar regarding Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), labelling them as “baseless claims” and calling on India to withdraw from the territories it has occupied for decades.
The response came after Jaishankar, while speaking at the Chatham House think tank in London on Wednesday, asserted that the Kashmir dispute would be resolved only once the “stolen part of Kashmir” under “illegal Pakistani occupation” was returned to India.
Jaishankar made the remarks in response to a journalist’s question, which accused India of illegally occupying Kashmir, and inquired whether Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would seek the involvement of former US President Donald Trump to mediate the dispute.
“We believe we have already resolved most of the issue,” Jaishankar claimed, referring to India’s 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the elections held in the region in October 2024 as part of that process. He further stated that economic development and social justice were also key steps in India’s approach to addressing the Kashmir situation.
Pakistan’s response to Indian ministers Kashmir claims
During a weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan rejected Jaishankar’s remarks, urging India to withdraw from the territory it has held for the past 77 years instead of making unfounded claims about AJK.
“We categorically reject the comments made by the Indian external affairs minister at Chatham House, London, on March 5, 2025,” Shafqat stated.
He stressed that the Indian minister’s remarks distorted the reality on the ground and were in direct violation of international law. “Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised disputed territory. According to relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the final status of the region must be decided through a free and fair plebiscite under UN supervision. India’s misleading claims cannot change this fact,” he added.
Addressing Jaishankar’s assertion that elections in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK) were part of a solution, Shafqat maintained that any electoral process conducted under the Indian constitution could not replace the right of Kashmiris to self-determination.
In the October 2024 elections, the first state polls in the disputed region since 2014, Omar Abdullah’s National Conference, in alliance with the Indian National Congress, secured a significant victory. However, the FO spokesperson dismissed the idea that elections could address the deep-rooted grievances of Kashmiris.
“Kashmiris’ decades-long struggle for their rights cannot simply be resolved through economic initiatives carried out under the shadow of military force,” Shafqat remarked.
He reiterated that India must understand that a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in line with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, is essential for lasting peace in South Asia.
