Srinagar, Jun 23 (KNO): India on Tuesday strongly rejected remarks made by Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Jammu and Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty, saying the comments were aimed at diverting attention from Islamabad's internal problems and human rights record.
Responding to media queries, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said Pakistan's allegations against India were baseless and intended to shift focus away from issues confronting the neighbouring country.
"We have seen reports regarding these remarks. Such statements are desperate attempts by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and deflect attention from its human rights abuses," Jaiswal said.
He said India categorically rejected what he described as fabricated claims.
The response came days after Asif criticised India's decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and warned that Pakistan could consider military action if it believed its water security was under threat.
India suspended the treaty following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in which 26 people were killed. New Delhi has maintained that the decision will remain in force as part of its response to cross-border terrorism.
Without naming specific incidents, Jaiswal said Pakistan's attempts to raise issues relating to Jammu and Kashmir could not obscure the situation in territories under its control.
He pointed to continuing protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), describing them as the outcome of decades of economic neglect, denial of rights and administrative repression.
"The ongoing protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are a direct consequence of Pakistan's long-standing policies of economic exploitation, suppression of fundamental freedoms and governance failures in areas under its illegal and forcible occupation," he said.
The spokesperson alleged that Pakistani authorities had responded to public dissent through harsh measures, including restrictions on movement, internet shutdowns and action against civilians.
India also urged the international community to take note of developments in PoK and hold Pakistan accountable for what it described as violations of democratic and human rights norms.
The treaty, signed in 1960 with the World Bank as a guarantor, governs the sharing of waters of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan.
Under the arrangement, Pakistan receives waters from the western rivers -- the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab -- while India has rights over the eastern rivers -- Ravi, Beas and Sutlej -- along with limited use of the western rivers for domestic, agricultural and hydroelectric purposes.
India has repeatedly maintained that terrorism and normal bilateral engagement cannot go together, and has linked recent measures against Pakistan to concerns over cross-border terror activities—(KNO)