NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday rejected Pakistan's observance of August 5 as 'Youm-e-Istehsal' (Day of Exploitation), describing it as a "political absurdity" and a "futile attempt" to spread propaganda over the 2019 revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Responding to remarks by Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who said New Delhi's decision had complicated efforts to bring peace and stability in South Asia, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted that the constitutional changes in Jammu and Kashmir were entirely India's internal matter.
"India categorically rejects the political absurdity and futile attempts by Pakistan to observe the so-called Youm-e-Istehsal to spread malicious propaganda against India," Jaiswal said.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcated it into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Pakistan has since marked the anniversary as 'Youm-e-Istehsal'.
Reiterating India's position, Jaiswal said the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh "are, have always been, and shall forever remain an integral and inalienable part of India."
He said the constitutional changes introduced in 2019 had "brought unprecedented socio-economic development, good governance, and democratic empowerment to the people of the region," adding that "Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on matters that are strictly internal to India."
The spokesperson accused Islamabad of attempting to divert global attention from its domestic record.
"Pakistan's desperate attempts to peddle falsehoods are intended solely to deflect international attention from its own dismal human rights record and its status as the global epicentre of terrorism," he said.
Jaiswal also criticised Pakistan's handling of the situation in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), alleging that its security forces had used excessive force against protesters in recent weeks.
"The international community is currently witnessing the brutal suppression of fundamental rights in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK)," he said, adding that "in recent weeks, Pakistani security forces have resorted to lethal violence, targeted killings, and draconian bans to silence peaceful civil rights protests led by the local populace."
Referring to reports of casualties during the protests, Jaiswal said, "Such state-sponsored violence against unarmed civilians exposes the profound hypocrisy of the Pakistani establishment."
He urged Pakistan to "stop the bloodshed in PoJK, take credible, verifiable, and irreversible action against terror networks operating from its soil, and immediately vacate all Indian territories under its illegal and forcible occupation."
