Foreign envoys should be allowed to move freely in Kashmir: Pak

Pakistan said on Thursday that any visit by foreign envoys to Kashmir should take place without any restriction and diplomats should be allowed to meet Hurriyat leadership.

In first such trip by foreign diplomats post-August 5, envoys of 15 countries, including US, visited Kashmir valley on Thursday where y interacted with select political representatives, civil society members as well as military top brass with Indian government rejecting criticism that it was a "guided tour".

"We hope that visit would take place without any restriction by Indian Government so that envoys would have access to all areas," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said.

"y may also be allowed to freely interact with Hurriyat leadership and Kashmiri people in an atmosphere free from intimidation and coercion,” she told media, commenting on envoys' visit to Kashmir.

She also rejected reports of persecution of mirities in country and vandalism at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, describing m as part of a smear campaign against Pakistan.

When asked about a letter written by Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Gillani to Prime Minister Imran Khan last year, Farooqui said response had been "conveyed to him in line with Pakistan's historical and steadfast support and commitment to Jammu and Kashmir cause"