By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress party Friday advised Pakistan to demonstrate commitment to democracy and human rights in occupied Kashmir instead of handing out “sanctimonious homilies” to India on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Terming the statement of Pakistan Foreign Office on the situation in Kashmir as “very preposterous”, Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said despite facing immense problems due to floods, Pakistan has not refrained from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.
“We would like to remind rulers of Pakistan that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India in 1947. Pakistan has illegally ceded one-third of occupied Kashmir to China,” he said.
He said India had persevered to strengthen the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir over the past 63 years despite problems like terrorism.
“What is the situation in the Northern Areas and Pak-Occupied Kashmir. There is no democracy, no human rights, no foreign journalists are allowed to visit the place,” he said.
“Our advice to Pakistan is that before handing out sanctimonious homilies to India, it would be appropriate to demonstrate democracy and human rights in the occupied areas.”
He said that international strategists had also talked of the presence of a large number of Chinese troops in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Tewari also took a dig at the Hurriyat Conference for its pro-Pakistan stand, saying they should once in a while spare a thought for their brethren reeling under suppression on the other side of the border for 64 years.
He said 79 districts in Pakistan continue to remain flood affected but the rulers were making critical statements about neighbours. “Our sympathies are there with the people of Pakistan. Even in these trying times, their rulers do not refrain from interfering in the affairs of other countries,” he said.
A Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Friday asked New Delhi to stop treating Kashmir as an integral part of India and seeking a solution within the ambit of the Indian constitution.
External Affairs S.M. Krishna had Thursday asked Pakistan to “vacate” its “illegal occupation of certain parts of Jammu and Kashmir” before advising India on how to go about doing things in Kashmir.
Kashmir Valley has witnessed the deaths of more than 100 people in firing by security forces on street protesters since June 11.