Kashmir is 'disputed territory': Pakistan

Islamabad, July 4: Needling India ahead of Narendra Modi's first visit to Jammu and Kashmir as Prime Minister, Pakistan on Thursday harped on Kashmir being a "disputed territory".

"We do not accept the so-called accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India. Kashmir is not an integral part of India. Our position is that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said during a briefing.

Her remarks came on the eve of Modi's one-day visit to Jammu and Srinagar.

"People of the State of Jammu and Kashmir have yet to exercise their right to self determination which has been assured to them by almost 20 resolutions of the United Nations Security Council," Aslam said in response to a question on Modi's visit to the state.

Pakistan's contention has been outright rejected by India which has asserted that J&K is its integral part.

During the visit, Modi will make his first stop in Jammu from where he will go to Katra to flag off the inaugural train from the newly built Katra Railway station to Udhampur.

The Prime Minister will later fly to Srinagar where he will address a 'Sainik Sammelan'.

Aslam, during her weekly briefing, alleged that India was not releasing Pakistani prisoners who had completed their jail terms.

"Unfortunately, some of our nationals who have completed their primary sentence in India still remain in jails. Sometimes because the processes are not completed by the Indian authorities or subsequently new charges are brought against them and the jail sentence starts anew," she said.

Aslam said according to a list provided by India, 264 civilian Pakistanis and 116 fishermen were in Indian jails.

Recently, the Indian authorities intimated that they were releasing nine Pakistani prisoners, Aslam said, adding that she was not sure whether they were included in the list given by India.

PTI