India asks Pak to shut up, stop rhetoric on J&K

New Delhi: India on Wednesday night bluntly asked Pakistan to “desist” from making "deeply objectionable" comments on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan has said it is contacting the UN over the "deteriorating situation" in Jammu and Kashmir, ignoring India's warning that such statements amount to "clear interference" in its internal affairs and undermine the composite dialogue process.

After the warning was ignored, the External Affairs Ministry said India is "witnessing a recurrence of Pakistani rhetoric and allegations that are factually wrong and that bear no relationship to reality."

Ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna told reporters that India "finds deeply objectionable the series of remarks by the official spokesman and leaders in Pakistan on recent events in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir."

India's angry reaction came hours after the Pakistan Foreign Office said it was approaching the international community, the UN, Organisation of Islamic Conference and human rights organisations, urging them to "take notice" of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said his country condemned the “unwarranted use of force" against people in Jammu and Kashmir.

"It is not too late for Pakistani leaders and spokesmen to desist from the course of action that they have recently embarked upon and we would urge them to do so forthwith," Sarna said.

Such statements do not contribute to "creating the atmosphere necessary for the dialogue process between India and Pakistan to move forward," said Sarna.

Pakistan’s National Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution condemning the killing of Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz and others in Jammu and Kashmir and expressing solidarity with the Kashmiri people.

UN chief refuses comment

The United Nations is monitoring the situation in Kashmir but does have any "extensive comment" to make at this stage, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Replying to a question by a Pakistani correspondent who had asked whether the UN is aware that Kashmir is becoming a "hot spot", associate spokesperson Farhan Haq said United Nations human rights officials are aware of the situation and are "determining whether to make any comment."