New Delhi, Mar 17: India on Thursday asked Pakistan not to meddle in its internal affairs after the neighbouring country protested against the acquittal of former RSS activist Swami Aseemanand in the 2007 Ajmer dargah blast case.
“The entire State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) acceded to India in 1947. It has been, is and will always be an integral part of India. A part of Jammu and Kashmir has been under illegal occupation of Pakistan. Any unilateral step by Pakistan to alter the status of that part will have no basis in law and will be completely unacceptable,” Gopal Baglay, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), told journalists in New Delhi.
“India completely rejects Pakistan’s effort and intention to meddle in our internal affairs, including in judicial process,” said Baglay.
He was reacting to Pakistan’s criticism of Swami Aseemanand’s acquittal by a special court in India.
Swami Aseemanand is also an accused in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case.
“We also totally reject the completely untenable link sought to be established by Pakistan with any other matter currently under purview of the Indian courts,” said Baglay.
India’s Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, J P Singh, had been called by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of that country on March 10. Senior officials of MoFA conveyed to Singh Islamabad’s concerns over acquittal of Swami Aseemanand in Ajmer Sharif blast case.
“Strong Indian democracy and justice system need no self-serving sermons, that too from a country like Pakistan,” said Baglay.
“Pakistan is well advised to refrain from interfering in internal affairs of India in any form; not to resort to denial from the reality of terrorism emanating from its soil; and take action to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism in the territory under its control and bring to justice the masterminds in its territory who commit, promote and support terrorism against its neighbours,” added the MEA spokesperson.
Baglay noted that Islamabad’s move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as a province of Pakistan would also be a violation of the agreement between India and the neighbouring country to address all issues bilaterally through peaceful means, as was enshrined in Shimla Agreement of 1972 .
“I must also say that such a step will not camouflage the illegality of Pakistan’s occupation of parts of J&K and the gravely concerning and serious human rights violations there, as well as denial of democracy to the people there,” he said.
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