‘Answered public discontent with bullets and repression’: MEA slams Pakistan over ‘farce’ PoK polls

MEA spokersperson called the PoK polls ‘farce’ and slammed Pakistan to pay heed to the atrocities committed by the Pak establishment

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday slammed the recently conducted so-called local elections in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK), calling them “a complete farce” and accusing Pakistani forces of using violence, blackouts, intimidation and repression against civilians.Addressing a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “The real happening is that of public protests and wanton killings by Pakistani forces. Such hollow exercises cannot hide reality.”Jaiswal claimed that at least 90 civilians had been killed since June during what he described as a continuing crackdown by the Pakistani establishment.“Since June this year, at least 90 civilians have lost their lives in the continuing crackdown,” he said. “The Pakistani Establishment has answered public discontent with bullets, blackouts, intimidation and repression, and now seeks to manufacture legitimacy through a hollow electoral exercise.”He urged the international community to hold Islamabad accountable, saying, “the world should see through the flimsy veneer of Pakistan’s hypocritical lecturing on human rights.” The comments followed protests and disruptions surrounding the PoK elections, with demonstrations reported across the region. Human rights and press freedom groups have also raised concerns over alleged state violence, restrictions on the media and internet shutdowns during the protests.Separately, the MEA called on Pakistan to take “decisive action” against cross-border terrorism while responding to a viral video showing Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba members claiming that 30-40 of their commanders had been killed and alleging that Indian agencies were behind the killings.

“We continue to call upon all countries to take strong action against cross-border terrorism and those who promote it,” Jaiswal said. “We also call upon Pakistan to take decisive action against cross-border terrorism and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure operating from its soil,” he added.The remarks came amid heightened scrutiny of Pakistan’s handling of terrorism and its actions in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.