Kashmir belongs to us, Pak must vacate illegally held regions: India

New Delhi, Apr 17: India on Thursday firmly rejected recent remarks by Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir, concerning Kashmir and the two-nation theory, stating that Jammu and Kashmir remains an integral part of India and that Pakistan’s only connection with the region lies in vacating its illegally occupied areas.
Responding to a question during the weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Jammu and Kashmir is a Union Territory of India and dismissed any external claim over it.
“How can anything foreign be in a jugular vein? Jammu and Kashmir is a Union Territory of India. Its only relationship with Pakistan is that the latter must vacate the territories it continues to occupy illegally,” Jaiswal said.
General Munir had recently addressed an event in Pakistan, where he invoked the two-nation theory and linked it to the current situation in Kashmir. He urged citizens to educate their children about the ideological basis of Pakistan’s creation, claiming fundamental differences with India.
Jaiswal also used the occasion to raise the issue of Pakistan’s continued shelter to individuals accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. He said the recent extradition of Tahawwur Rana from the United States to India serves as a reminder of Pakistan’s failure to act against known perpetrators.
He said Rana’s extradition highlights the importance of justice for the victims of the attacks. “Pakistan may try very hard, but its reputation as the epicentre of global terrorism will not diminish,” Jaiswal added.
He further said that Pakistan must bring all individuals responsible for the Mumbai attacks to justice, naming those still sheltered in Pakistan as a major concern for India’s counter-terrorism efforts. (KNO)