NEW DELHI—India on Thursday rejected Pakistan's observance of the Aug. 5 anniversary of New Delhi's 2019 decision to revoke the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir, accusing Islamabad of spreading misinformation and reiterating that the issue is an internal matter.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, India dismissed Pakistan's annual commemoration of what it calls "Youm-e-Istehsal" (Day of Exploitation), describing it as a politically motivated exercise aimed at promoting what New Delhi called false propaganda. The ministry said Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh "have been, are, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India."
The ministry urged Pakistan to end what it described as support for cross-border terrorism and to dismantle terrorist infrastructure operating from territory under its control. It also accused Islamabad of attempting to divert international attention from its own domestic human rights record through repeated statements on Kashmir.
Pakistan has consistently maintained that the status of Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute and marks Aug. 5 each year to protest India's 2019 constitutional changes. Islamabad has repeatedly called on New Delhi to reverse the measures and has cited United Nations Security Council resolutions in support of its position.
India revoked Article 370 of its Constitution on Aug. 5, 2019, ending the former state's special status and reorganizing it into the federally administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. New Delhi has maintained that the move has strengthened governance, improved development and enhanced security in the region, while Pakistan continues to reject the decision as unilateral and illegal.
The latest exchange adds to a series of diplomatic disputes between the two nuclear-armed neighbours over Kashmir and regional security issues. In recent months, India has rejected Pakistani criticism at international forums and reiterated that foreign governments have no locus standi to comment on Jammu and Kashmir, while Pakistan has continued to raise the issue in bilateral and multilateral settings.
No new bilateral talks or confidence-building measures were announced by either side on Thursday. Both governments reaffirmed their long-standing positions, with India describing the constitutional changes as irreversible and Pakistan continuing to contest them through diplomatic channels.
