Pakistan on Thursday expressed concerns over politicization of the FATF by some countries. Asked about FATF at a weekly press briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan has concerns about politicization of FATF by some countries, which is not consistent with the technical nature of the issues discussed at the forum.
On the issue of Kashmir, FO Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said that despite deploying 900,000 troops and paramilitary deployment in IIOJK, India was trying to portray false sense of normalcy and development in the territory. “India is trying to portray false sense of normalcy and development in IIOJK. But the reality on ground is totally different as you have also noted that the Kashmiri people have rejected these attempts,” Asim Iftikhar said.
He said the heavy deployment of India troops made the occupied territory the most heavily militarized zone in the world, and they continued with this policy of subjugating the people of IIOJK through the barrel of the gun. “Regarding the reported investment/development projects in IIOJK, that clearly is an effort by India to divert international attention from its illegal occupation and human rights violations, serious violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and crimes against humanity in IIOJK,” the spokesperson said.
He said in continued acts of state terrorism, Indian troops martyred 22 Kashmiris during the month of October in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the Kashmiri students continue to be penalized, threatened and persecuted by India over a cricket match between Pakistan and India.
“This is reflective of the extremist anti-Muslim and anti-Kashmiri Hindutva mindset in India that Pakistan has been forewarning about, and you would have seen recent reports in the international media critical of these worrying developments,” he commented.
Expressing “serious concern” on the reports about Indian occupation forces setting up a so-called new investigation agency in IIOJK, he said this could be another repressive tool to further terrorize Kashmiris.
“It is extremely reprehensible that minorities, particularly Muslims are being unabatedly attacked by extremist Hindutva brigades with impunity and state complicity in BJP-RSS regime,” he added.
He said disturbing recent incidents, including, stopping Muslims to offer Friday prayers at several places, attacks on many mosques and Muslim businesses in Tripura, rendering Muslims homeless and landless in Assam, victimization of renowned persons, targeting of Urdu language of Muslim minority and violence against Muslims on flimsy pretexts were clear signs of the fascist polity in India.
“We call upon the international community to play its role to stop the rising tide of Islamophobia and attacks against minorities particularly Muslims in India, and ensure their safety, security and well-being and protection in particular of their places of worship and heritage sites,” he remarked.
The spokesperson conveyed condolences on the casualties in road accident in AJK and condemned terrorist attacks in Kabul on November 2.
To a question about Pakistan’s participation in COP26 Summit, the spokesperson said Prime Minister Imran Khan had been in the lead globally in advocating strong action for combating climate change and that the country had a “very constructive and strong participation” in the summit as well.
Asked about the Kartarpur Corridor, he said Pakistan’s policy had been very clear and remained strongly committed to its functioning, and supported its early reopening. We hope India would respond positively, he added.
