‘Don’t drag us for political gains': Pakistan to Indian politicians amid Lok Sabha polls

Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch urged Indian politicians to stop dragging Pakistan for political gains in their speeches amid the Lok Sabha elections. 

“Indian politicians need to cease their reckless practice of dragging Pakistan into India’s populist public discourse for electoral motives,” she said in a press conference in Islamabad.

“We are witnessing an alarming surge in provocative statements from Indian leaders asserting unwarranted claims on Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan rejects these claims. Fuelled by hyper-nationalism, this inflammatory rhetoric poses a grave threat to regional peace and susceptibility,” Baloch was quoted by Pakistan-based Dawn News.

“Historical and legal facts as well as ground realities refute India’s baseless claims over Jammu and Kashmir,” the spokesperson said. 

India has refuted such statements on Kashmir by Pakistan on several occasions.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has repeatedly said that the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh are and always will be integral and inalienable parts of India. "No other country has a locus standi to comment on the same,” the MEA said.

Addressing a rally on April 11 in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district, Defense minister Rajnath Singh said, “The way Jammu-Kashmir is heading towards development, I feel that people in PoK think that their development is only possible at the hands of PM Modi and not Pakistan. The people in PoK might say they want to be with India. PoK was, is and will always be our (India) part.”

Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “On the issue of PoK, there is a national position and not the party's position. The Parliament of India has taken a united stand and every political party in the country has supported that stand. We will never accept that the PoK is not a part of India. It's a united stand, it remains our stand.”