‘Desperate Attempt To Cover Up Human Rights Abuses In PoK’: MEA’s Sharp Reply To Pakistan

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• India highlighted Pakistan’s human rights abuses, PoK administrative misconduct.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly rejected comments made by Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who recently warned that Islamabad could consider military action if it believed India’s moves on the Indus river system threatened Pakistan’s water security. Responding to the remarks, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal accused Pakistan of attempting to divert attention from its own failures and human rights record. The sharp rebuttal comes amid growing tensions over the suspended Indus Waters Treaty and follows Asif’s comments linking water security to Pakistan’s national security concerns.

MEA Rejects Pakistan’s Claims

Addressing the media in New Delhi, Jaiswal said India had seen reports of Asif’s remarks and dismissed them as a desperate attempt by Pakistan to shift focus away from its internal problems.

VIDEO | Delhi: Responding to remarks of Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif regarding Indus Waters Treaty, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) says, “Regarding the comments made by the Pakistani Defence Minister, we have seen reports on the matter. Such remarks are… pic.twitter.com/b07NHStAHd

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 23, 2026

He said the allegations made by Pakistan were “fabricated claims” and deserved outright rejection. According to the MEA, Islamabad was seeking to deflect international attention from its own human rights record and governance failures.

Jaiswal further alleged that the unrest currently being witnessed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was the result of decades of economic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights and administrative oppression by Pakistani authorities.

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Human Rights Concerns Raised

The MEA spokesperson also accused Pakistan of responding to protests in PoK with heavy-handed measures. He alleged that authorities had imposed internet shutdowns, blocked essential supplies and medicines, and used force against unarmed civilians.

According to Jaiswal, several people have reportedly lost their lives during the crackdown. He said the international community should hold Pakistan accountable for what he described as human rights abuses and administrative misconduct in territories under its control.

The response follows remarks made by Asif during an interview with ARY News on Sunday. The Pakistani Defence Minister had warned that water was a core national security issue for his country and suggested Islamabad could resort to military action if it perceived a serious threat to its access to waters from the Indus basin.

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