Onlykashmir.in News Desk
India on Tuesday dismissed the so called Legislative Assembly elections being staged in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir as a cosmetic exercise designed to camouflage Islamabad’s illegal occupation and mask its record of human rights violations in the region.
Briefing reporters in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India, rejecting any legitimacy attached to the electoral process being conducted on the other side of the Line of Control.
Jaiswal linked the ongoing mass protests witnessed in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir directly to what he described as Pakistan’s economic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights and administrative oppression of the local population, arguing that public unrest in the region reflects deep seated grievances rather than passing dissatisfaction. He further noted that a country which has spent decades promoting cross border terrorism, religious fundamentalism and violence has no credible claim to championing any pluralistic cultural legacy, adding that its poor record on protecting minorities and their cultural rights makes such efforts appear increasingly hollow.
The Spokesperson also pointed out that Indian citizens, including a large share of the country’s Gen Z population, have consistently demanded an end to Pakistan’s state sponsored cross border terrorism, framing the demand as a generational consensus rather than a narrow political position.
On a separate matter, Jaiswal addressed the attack on the vessel MV AGN Ragnar at the Port of Odesa, confirming that four Indian nationals were aboard at the time, of whom two are safe while two remain missing. He said search and rescue efforts are continuing and that the Ministry remains in constant contact with local authorities in the area, having also established contact with the families of the missing nationals to keep them updated on developments.
Asked about the extradition of fugitive businessman Nirav Modi, the Spokesperson said judicial proceedings currently underway in the United Kingdom must conclude before the extradition process can move forward, reiterating the government’s firm position that all fugitive economic offenders should be brought back to India to face judicial proceedings.
The briefing underscored the range of consular and diplomatic issues the Ministry is simultaneously managing, from territorial assertions over Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir to the welfare of Indian nationals caught up in international incidents thousands of kilometres away, reflecting the breadth of India’s active foreign policy engagements this week.
