By IANS,
New Delhi : India Friday objected to Pakistan raising questions on the credibility of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and asked it to play a “responsible role in the region”.
“It is most unfortunate that Pakistan has commented on an internal matter of India. We strongly object to these remarks,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said.
He was reacting to a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Thursday saying the Nov 17-Dec 28 polls in Jammu and Kashmir “cannot be construed as an authentic expression of the real aspirations of the Kashmiri people”.
Prakash said: “It is in Pakistan’s own interest to play a responsible role in the region. Comments such as these hardly suggest that it is prepared to do so.”
In India, Pakistan’s statements on the Kashmir elections are seen as an expression of frustration that the election boycott by separatists had not been heeded so far. The first phase of elections in the state recorded a high 64 percent voter turnout.