China’s state-backed Global Times, on Thursday, 13 August, refused to publish India’s response to an interview by Pakistan’s ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque, in which he had requested global action to help alleviate the suffering of the Kashmiri people.
WHAT WAS THE STORY PUBLISHED IN GLOBAL TIMES ABOUT?
Titled “Urgent actions on Jammu, Kashmir need: Pakistani Ambassador”, the article cites an exclusive interview of Moin ul Haque and pertains to the state of Kashmiri people, a year after abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.
"For this year alone, around 200 innocent Kashmiris have been killed, around 50 cases of rape and molestation and nearly 1,000 cases of destruction of houses and property have been reported. In addition to that, nearly 2,200 civilians have been arrested," Haque reportedly told Global Times.
Further, Haque stated that India’s “actions have threatened the regional peace and security.”
Haque also reached out to the goal community and asked them to play the role of an “honest broker” in the dispute.
“Pakistan expects the global community to play the role of honest broker in the dispute, and take concrete actions to ameliorate the sufferings of the Kashmiri people. We could only hope that the growing international condemnation would dissuade India’s fascist religious-nationalist regime from their illegal acts.”Moin ul Haque
WHAT WAS INDIA’S RESPONSE?
Indian Embassy in China responded to Global Times’ Twitter post on the article with the allegation that the paper had declined to carry the Indian embassy’s response to Moin ul Haque’s interview.
The response, then tweeted out, says that Haque has chosen to repeat Pakistan’s “lies and half-truths”.
Stating that Kashmir is an integral part of India whose affairs are internal to India, and Pakistan has no locus standi, the statement read:
“Ambassador Haque’s misrepresentations, while not surprising, cannot conceal the significant progress that J&K has made in the year following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.”
Further, the response says that evidence of change sweeping through J&K is in the creation of new education- and health-related infrastructure and opportunities.
The response also says that India’s efforts to bring peace, stability and progress to J&K are in stark contrast to Pakistan’s strategy, “which is little more than a blatant and rapacious campaign of cross-border terrorism aim at debilitating the region.” It added:
“Perhaps Ambassador Haque could consider holding up a mirror to his own “regime” and reflect on Pakistan’s own actions in the region beforee making ludicrous characterisations of the Indian government’s actions.”
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