Pakistan Urges Indian Politicians To Refrain From Dragging Pakistan Into Lok Sabha Election 2024

Indian politicians were urged by Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch to refrain from dragging Pakistan into their political speeches for electoral gains.

The statement by the Pakistan Spokesperson was made after the press conference in Islamabad, in which Baloch stated that all of India's claims over Jammu and Kashmir were rejected by Pakistan.

Photo Credit: X/ANI

'Don't drag us for political gains': Pakistan

The spokesperson emphasized that Indian leaders should cease their reckless practice of involving Pakistan in India's populist public discourse for electoral motives. An alarming surge in provocative statements from Indian leaders asserting unwarranted claims on Jammu and Kashmir is being witnessed, according to Baloch.

Pakistan rejects these claims, and this inflammatory rhetoric, fueled by hyper-nationalism, poses a grave threat to regional peace and susceptibility. Pakistan's comments come as Indian politicians campaign for the national elections of one of the world's largest democracies as reported by Hindustan Times citing the local report.

Claims made by Indian politicians were deemed baseless by the spokesperson and were stated to be contrary to any historical or legal facts. "Historical and legal facts as well as ground realities refute India's baseless claims over Jammu and Kashmir," Baloch remarked, as reported by The Dawn.

On several occasions, statements on Kashmir made by Pakistan have been refuted by India. As reported by PTI, the Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly stated, "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."

On numerous occasions, Pakistan has been mentioned by leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during campaigning for the LS elections. During a rally in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district on April 11, defence minister Rajnath Singh stated, "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 in the month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar remarked during a press conference in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, "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."