Pakistan cries foul over India's decision to hold G20 meeting in Srinagar

NEW DELHI: Pakistan has cried foul over India’s decision to host a G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement, Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs said, "Pakistan expresses its strong indignation over India’s decision to hold the G-20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar on 22-24 May 2023."

The meeting comes as India has taken up the G20 Presidency this year and this will be the first international event to be held in Srinagar since the abrogation of Article 370.

"India’s irresponsible move is the latest in a series of self-serving measures to perpetuate its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir in sheer disregard of the UN Security Council resolutions and in violation of the principles of the UN Charter and the international law. Pakistan vehemently condemns these moves," Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry statement said.

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India has not issued any response to this statement. However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has in the past always reaffirmed that Kashmir is an integral part of India and no other country has any right to comment on what happens there.

"With its decision to host G-20 events in IOJK (Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir), India is again exploiting its membership of an important international grouping for advancing its self-serving agenda," the Pakistani statement added.

"For a country that has a grandiose vision about itself and its place in the world, India has repeatedly demonstrated that it is unable to act as a responsible member of the international community," says the press release issued by Pakistan.

Political and diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan have been downgraded since the revocation of Article 370 in Kashmir. On various UN platforms, Pakistan tries to rake up the Kashmir issue and India always gives a befitting rebuttal.