KARACHI, 3 September — Pakistan yesterday accused India of being involved in large-scale killings of innocent civilians in Kashmir and expressed deep concern over the recent surge in atrocities against Kashmiris in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
“Pakistan is convinced that Indian security agencies and renegade elements in their pay are behind these killings, the main target of which are Kashmiri Muslims,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.
It said Indian authorities “invariably make the false claim that Kashmiri freedom fighters are responsible for these deaths.”
The statement said the involvement of Indian security personnel in the bloodshed has been “acknowledged” by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
“The objective of the Indian authorities in carrying out these killings and blaming them on Kashmiri freedom fighters is to portray internationally the struggle as terrorism,” the statement said.
“(This strategy) is to alienate the Kashmiris from the freedom movement to secure a greater voter turn-out at the forthcoming fraudulent assembly elections in Indian-occupied Kashmir.”
The statement called upon the Indian government to end its “diabolical machinations” in Jammu and Kashmir as well as its “brutal suppression of the Kashmiri people,” urging dialogue to resolve the Kashmiri dispute.
