India said it was “dismayed” as Pakistan declared a day of mourning on July 19 for the slain Hizbul militant Burhan Wani.
“Continued glorification of terrorists belonging to proscribed terrorist organisations makes it amply clear where Pakistan’s sympathies continue to lie,” said Vikas Swarup, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The government’s statement came as Pakistan’s cabinet in a special meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif “condemned” India for declaring Wani a terrorist and announced that Pakistan would play a role in “awakening the conscience” of the international community against India’s actions in the Kashmir valley.
No locus standi
In response, Mr. Swarup asked Pakistan to stop interfering in India’s internal affairs and said “India completely and unequivocally rejects in entirety the decisions adopted by the Cabinet of Pakistan on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. We are dismayed at the continued attempts by Pakistan to interfere in our internal matters, where, we reiterate, Pakistan or any other external party has no locus standi”.
Mr. Sharif however “urged” the United Nations to focus on the Kashmir issue and said: “If Indian forces continue with the horrendous practice of killing innocent, it will be a bad open for the peace of the region.
Aggressive tweets
The special Cabinet meeting of Friday in Pakistan was noted as it was followed by aggressive tweets from Defence Minister Khawaja M. Asif who said “Massacre and genocide in Indian Occupied Kashmir is extension & re-enactment of ethnic cleansing started by Modi in Gujarat.”
Earlier on Thursday the MEA criticised Pakistan as a country that “covets” territory of its neighbours.
