The Foreign Office on Sunday strongly condemned the reported extra-judicial killing of five Kashmiris in Pulwama and Budgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) by the Indian occupation forces on January 29-30, 2022.

“In their unabated reign of terror, the Indian occupation forces have martyred at least 23 Kashmiris in fake “encounters” and so-called cordon-and-search operations in the month of January alone,” the FO said in a press release.

Driven by the far-right extremist Hindutva ideology that provokes and condones genocide of Muslims, the Indian forces are relentlessly targeting the Kashmiris, especially youth, in the occupied territory, it said.

The FO said that the international community must act to stop this wanton oppression and persecution of the besieged Kashmiris under illegal occupation.

“We also reject and condemn the Indian officials’ lies insinuating the killing of an alleged “Pakistani” resistance fighter. The Indian occupation forces are known to kill innocent Kashmiris passing them off as “alleged militants”, in the hope of getting monetary rewards or ‘gallantry’ medals,” it added.

Pakistan reaffirms its support to Kashmiris

Pakistan salutes the resilience of the Kashmiri people who continue to stand firm in their just and peaceful struggle for their legitimate right to self-determination as pledged to them by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

The foreign ministry reiterated its call on the international community, including the United Nations, to hold India accountable for its gross and systematic human rights violations and crimes against humanity in IIOJK, without further delay.