Vacate Indian territory under illegal occupation: MEA blasts Pakistan’s ‘lies’ on Kashmir

“The world knows that the real issue is Pakistan’s active promotion and sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. In fact this is the biggest roadblock to peace and security in the region. Instead of spreading lies, Pakistan should vacate Indian territory under its illegal and forcible occupation,” the MEA statement stated.

During the podcast with Lex Fridman on Sunday, PM Modi had said that “every attempt to foster peace with Pakistan was met with hostility and betrayal”. He further expressed hope that “wisdom would prevail” over the leadership in Pakistan to improve ties between the two countries.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Monday called PM Modi’s remarks as “misleading and one-sided” and alleged that India has orchestrated “targeted assassinations, subversion and terrorism in foreign territories”.

“They conveniently omit the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which remains unresolved for the last seven decades despite India’s solemn assurances to the United Nations, Pakistan and the Kashmiri people,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on Tuesday, also brought up Kashmir and described India as the “victim” of the “longest-standing illegal occupation” since World War II, alluding to Pakistan’s invasion of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947.

“After World War II, the longest-standing illegal presence and occupation of a territory by another country pertains to India in Kashmir. We went to the UN. What was an invasion was made into a dispute. The attacker and the victim were put on par,” Jaishankar said drawing attention to the historical handling of the Kashmir issue, without naming Pakistan.

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