New Delhi, Sept. 17: New Delhi has rejected what it said was a “gratuitous” statement issued by the Pakistan foreign minister, Mr Shah Mahmood Qureshi, saying it amounted to interference in the internal affairs of India.
New Delhi was reacting to Mr Qureshi’s remarks made earlier on Friday in which he spoke about the “deteriorating situation” in Jammu and Kashmir and called for an end to the “gross and systematic abuse of human rights” there.
The external affairs ministry spokesman said on Friday that “as a vibrant democracy, India has sufficient mechanisms and constitutional safeguards to address issues raised by its citizens in any part of the country”.
“India firmly rejects gratuitous statements issued by Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir, which amount to interference in the internal affairs of India. Pakistan should take effective action against infiltration from across the LoC and dismantle the terror infrastructure that exists in the territory under its control. This would be an important contribution towards safeguarding the welfare of the people of J&K, who suffer the consequences of terrorism fomented from across the LoC and the international border,” he said.