New Delhi, Aug 28: The Congress slammed Pakistan on Wednesday for "mischievously" dragging party leader Rahul Gandhi's name in a petition reportedly moved in the United Nations to justify its "lies" and misinformation on Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement, the opposition party said Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh were and would always be an integral part of India as it accused Pakistan of instigating violence in Jammu and Kashmir.
Rahul Gandhi also said Jammu and Kashmir was India's internal matter and there was no room for Pakistan or any other country to intervene.
He also accused Pakistan of instigating and supporting violence in Jammu and Kashmir and said the neighbouring country was known to be "the prime supporter of terrorism across the world".
The Congress leader said this was despite the fact that he disagreed with the BJP-led government on many issues.
"I disagree with this Government on many issues. But, let me make this absolutely clear: Kashmir is India's internal issue and there is no room for Pakistan or any other foreign country to interfere in it," he said in a tweet.
"There is violence in Jammu & Kashmir. There is violence because it is instigated and supported by Pakistan which is known to be the prime supporter of terrorism across the world," Gandhi wrote on Twitter.
Congress's reaction came after Pakistani minister for human rights, Shireen Mazari, said she has a written a letter on the Kashmir issue to 18 UN Special Procedures mandate-holders. In her letter, which is part of the Pakistani propaganda effort on Kashmir, Mazari has claimed that even Rahul Gandhi had noted that people are dying in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mazari also posted the full text of her letter to the UN body on Twitter. She says in the letter: " ...acts of violence have even been acknowledged by mainstream politicians, such as the Leader of the Congress Party, Mr. Rahul Gandhi who has noted, 'people dying' in Jammu and Kashmir, in light of events 'going very wrong there'."
Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the party had noticed "reports citing an alleged petition moved by Pakistani Government to United Nations on Jammu & Kashmir, wherein name of Shri Rahul Gandhi has been mischievously dragged to justify the pack of lies and deliberate misinformation being spread by Pakistan".
"Let no one in the world be in doubt that Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and shall always remain an integral part of India. No amount of diabolical deception by Pakistan shall change this irrevocable truth," he said in a statement.
Surjewala said Pakistan should instead answer to the world about the "unpardonable and inhumane violations of human rights" in PoK-Gilgit-Hunza-Balochistan.
The neighbouring country also owed an explanation for the "designed persecution" of over seven crore Mohajirs (Muslim immigrants of multi-ethnic origin and their descendants, who migrated from various regions of India to Pakistan after the independence of Pakistan) and the killing of over 25,000 of them by its forces, he added.
The Congress leader said besides the instances of human rights violations in Balochistan, thousands had gone missing and mass graves were being uncovered by different agencies.
"The entire world witnessed the horrific murder of 128 innocents on 13th July, 2018 during an election rally by Balochistan Awami Movement. The gross abuse of human rights of Pashtun people in the tribal regions by Pakistani Army as also the systematic persecution and prosecution of Ahmadiyya Religious community is yet to be answered by Pakistan," he said.
Let the world be reminded again that almost every terrorist organisation thrives in Pakistan under political and military patronage – be it Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Hizbul Mujahideen, Al-Qaeda or Taliban and its multiple offshoots," the Congress leader said.
"We urge that Pakistan should answer these issues, both internally to its people as also to the international community, instead of raising the fake Kashmir bogey," he added.
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