Pakistan Rejects India’s ‘Baseless’ Remarks on Gilgit-Baltistan Elections

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Friday categorically rejected India’s objections to the upcoming general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, labelling the remarks as “baseless” and part of a choreographed attempt to distort facts.

In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) said India’s assertions were a “carefully choreographed attempt to conflate fact with fiction,” adding that Islamabad rejected the rhetoric “with the contempt it deserves.” The response came after New Delhi claimed that the entire region, including Gilgit-Baltistan, was an integral part of India.

General elections in Gilgit-Baltistan are scheduled for Sunday, June 7.

Reiterating its long-standing position, the FO stated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is the longest unresolved item on the UN Security Council agenda, originating from India’s “forcible and unlawful occupation” of the state in 1947. The statement emphasized that a just and durable settlement lies in implementing relevant UNSC resolutions that guarantee the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices.

The FO accused India of using its claims on Gilgit-Baltistan to divert attention from “grave and systematic human rights violations” in Indian-occupied Kashmir, where it said Indian forces enjoy impunity under “draconian laws.”

Pakistan called on India to vacate all occupied territories, reverse all “illegal and unilateral actions” taken since August 5, 2019, and repeal restrictive laws. Islamabad also urged New Delhi to allow neutral observers, international human rights organizations, and the media access to the region to ascertain the ground situation.