The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said the ongoing legislative assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) were a “cosmetic electoral exercise” aimed at camouflaging Pakistan’s illegal occupation and hiding its “grave human rights violations” in the region.
Event Context
The ministry reiterated that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas under Pakistan’s control, are integral and inalienable parts of India, news agency PTI reported.
Addressing the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s position on the region has remained “clear, consistent, and well known.”
source
“We have seen reports regarding the so-called legislative assembly elections being conducted in the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India’s position in this particular matter has been clear, consistent, and well known. The entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas currently under illegal occupation and forcible occupation of Pakistan, are integral and inalienable parts of India,” Jaiswal said, according to the report.
Also Read: ‘Indians, including Gen-Z, want them to end terror’: MEA on reports of Pakistan support for CJP protest
Calling the electoral process an attempt to legitimise Pakistan’s control over the region, he added, “The current cosmetic electoral exercise is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its grave human rights violations in the region. As we have stated earlier, the ongoing mass protest in PoJK, of which you are aware, is the direct consequence of economic exploitation, its denial of fundamental rights to the people and its administrative operations.”
Jaiswal’s remarks came amid continuing protests in PoJK, where demonstrators have alleged widespread electoral rigging, political interference and systematic suppression of democratic rights.
The allegations surfaced during a 52-day protest movement led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which has demanded the release of detainees, withdrawal of cases against protesters, and acceptance of its broader demands.
The JAAC has accused authorities of suppressing peaceful protests and undermining the democratic process through alleged electoral irregularities. Protest leaders have also alleged that the electoral process has been manipulated to influence outcomes, undermining the will of the people and weakening democratic institutions. They have further accused authorities of restricting political dissent through arrests, intimidation, and heavy security deployment.
The protests escalated after talks between the JAAC and the authorities collapsed on Monday. The committee had earlier set a 1 pm deadline on July 27 for the authorities to issue an official notification accepting its demands, warning that thousands of protesters would march from Rawalakot to Muzaffarabad if no agreement was reached.
After the deadline expired without a breakthrough, thousands of protesters gathered in Rawalakot and began marching towards Muzaffarabad. Protesters also condemned what they described as indiscriminate firing by Pakistani security forces on demonstrators.
(With inputs from PTI)
