Pakistan has expressed disappointment over the US State Department’s failure to note the disputed status of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK).
In a tweet, the US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) appreciated the resumption of 4G service in IOJK but referred to the disputed region as India’s Jammu and Kashmir.
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We welcome the resumption of 4G Mobile internet in India's Jammu & Kashmir. This marks an important step for local residents and we look forward to continued political & economic progress to restore normalcy in J&K.
— State_SCA (@State_SCA) February 10, 2021
The BJP-led Indian government had shut down internet services in IOJK after stripping the region of its semi-autonomous status on 5 August 2019 by repealing Articles 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution.
In response to US State Department’s tweet, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, has said that the SCA Bureau’s reference is inconsistent with the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir as recognized by numerous United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and the international community.
Jammu and Kashmir is one of the oldest items on the agenda of UNSC which remains unresolved because of India’s intransigence to implement relevant UNSC resolutions.
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The spokesperson added that the political and economic progress of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is linked to the realization of their desire for exercising the right to self-determination.
The international community, including the US, must urge India to stop its consistent and systematic human rights violations in IOJK and take genuine steps to resolve the dispute in a peaceful manner in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions.
We are disappointed to note the reference to Jammu & Kashmir in the U.S. Department of State’s tweet regarding resumption of 4G mobile internet in #IIOJK. The reference is inconsistent with disputed status of J&K as recognized by numerous UNSC resolutions & int’l community. 1/3
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) February 12, 2021
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