Published 14:48 IST, October 2nd 2019
Pakistan PM's Kashmir curfew claim is "story of falsehoods": J&K govt
Pakistan PM's UNGA speech was called out by the J&K government claiming that Imran Khan's reference to the situation in the valley was a "story of falsehoods"
Pakistan PM's UN General Assembly speech was called out by the Jammu & Kashmir government on Wednesday, claiming that Imran Khan's reference to the situation in Kashmir valley was a "story of falsehoods," asserting that situation in the valley was returning to normalcy since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.
The official statement further stated that Pakistan is diverting attention from its own "terror records" by peddling lies over Kashmir. "Pakistan PM Imran Khan's address at the UNGA is a story of falsehoods. By peddling half-truths and deliberate lies, Pakistan was attempting to divert attention from its own terror record, including its brazen support to militants in Jammu and Kashmir," a senior official of the state government said in a statement here.
The officials disdained Imran Khan's claims of curfew and clampdown in Kashmir, saying, "limited restrictions on movement had been imposed by the local administration in some parts to prevent miscreants from fomenting trouble but these too were relaxed in less than a week's time".
He said the quantum and frequency of these relaxations has been progressively increasing to a point that now almost the entire state is free of restrictions.
The official said, "Jammu and Kashmir is free for any movement and access to all including citizens, outsiders, journalists and all others for free movement. It is a myth being propagated that there is a virtual clampdown in J&K. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This is proven by the traffic visible on the roads with traffic jams, the passenger air traffic, the normal functioning of hospitals, the availability of essential civil supplies, and the free access of journalists."
"The very fact that all highways remain open, all air operations are normal and traffic is plying normally is sufficient to prove the 'clampdown theory' is the vestige of imagination of a neighbor who has been dismayed to find that the situation in J&K has remained peaceful with not a single live bullet being fired," the Jammu and Kashmir official added.
Further elaborating, the official said that the National Highway connecting Jammu-Kashmir and towards Kargil and Leh are functional. Adding that over 1,000 vehicles transverse the route daily carrying food, fuel, medicines, and other supplies to the valley and onwards to Ladakh and carrying back exports, including apples and handicraft products, to the rest of the country.
The Jammu and Kashmir government also said that both international and national media, many of those who are critical of the government are reporting freely in the valley.
"Over 200 journalists from all major national print and electronic media and international media, including BBC, Washington Post, New York Times, Foreign Policy, AP, AFP, Reuters, DW, Al Jazeera, etc., have been reporting freely including many who are critical of the government," the official said.
Jammu and Kashmir government officials accused Pakistan of deliberately whisking a false narrative to project violations of human rights, while genuine issues, including threats being posed by terrorists to civilians in the valley, are being ignored.
"It is well known that there are strong coercive influences being exerted on ordinary Kashmiris through overt and covert threats not to resume normal activities and businesses. A girl as young as 4 years was shot at merely because her family wanted to carry out their normal economic activity. A 65-year-old shopkeeper was killed merely because he wanted to earn his normal livelihood by keeping his shop open," he added. The official said, unlike Pakistan, India is a secular nation with a rule of law and a strong independent democratic, judicial and human rights institutional mechanism.
"Any detentions made are under prescribed laws and subject to strict judicial review. Any human rights complaints are subjects to strict and constant investigation and oversight both locally and federally, But what is unfortunate is that while Pakistan is very vocal of the rights of trouble creators, terrorists, and thugs, it has hardly anything to say either for those Kashmiris who are coerced and shot at by elements sponsored by it," he said.
Imran Khan's UNGA speech
During his entire speech, apart from ranting about Kashmir, Imran Khan fearmongered on violence, saying if there was a "bloodbath" in Kashmir it would further lead to radicalisation in the valley and the wider Islamic world.
Imran Khan justifying radicalisation said, “I picture myself. I am in Kashmir. Locked up for 55 days. I have heard about rapes. Indian Army going into homes. Would I want to live with this humiliation? I would pick up a gun. You are forcing people into radicalisation. If people lose the will to live, what do they live for?" He further threatened a 'Pulwama-like incident' wherein Pakistan would be blamed.
The Pakistan PM even rationalised the use of nuclear weapons against India, saying that the scope of damage would extend to the use of nukes in case of a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.
(With PTI inputs)
Updated 15:45 IST, October 2nd 2019