“We will continue to encourage worldwide community to uphold promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the parts of Jammu and Kashmir under illegal occupation of Pakistan, and hold the concerned accountable for their violation”, he stated.
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And Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s messages to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif are usually available on his Twitter handle.
Islamabad’s invitation for Foreign Secretary-level talks came on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address, accused Pakistan of glorifying terrorism.
“It perfectly natural”, they said, adding Modis comments reflected that he was troubled by the human rights situation in Balochistan and the excesses committed by the Pakistani military.
Meanwhile, the US State Department said on Wednesday that greater dialogue and counterterrorism cooperation between Pakistan and India not only benefits the two countries, but also the United States. He, however, maintained that Pakistan had no locus standi in addressing any aspect of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, an internal matter of India, except to put an end to cross-border terrorism and infiltration.
“The Kashmiris are agitating for their right to self-determination in accordance with United Nations resolutions, whereas in Balochistan there is only a small group working on the behest of the enemy country”, Zehri said, referring to suspected Indian involvement.
Tensions between Pakistan and India have been running high since the killing of Burhan Wani, which also sparked anti-government protests in IHK and led to clashes between protesters and Indian authorities – with over 60 protestors dead.
“At appropriate time, we will further take action in this regard”, he said.
Earlier this week, official sources had said that Jaitley may not visit Pakistan due to “political reasons”. Bugti had thanked PM Modi and invited India to intervene in Balochistan for being a responsible neighbor.
“People of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have thanked me a lot in the past few days”, Modi said.
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“Pakistan strongly condemns the continuing use of force by India and violation of human rights”. However, he refused to confirm if India had responded to the proposal.
