Indian top court decision aimed to solidify illegal occupation of Kashmir: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said Thursday that a decision by the Indian top court to uphold controversial legislation on Jammu and Kashmir is aimed at solidifying New Delhi's "illegal occupation" of the disputed valley.

Kakar addressed the Kashmir Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad where he dismissed the ruling as "unjust" and "illegal" and said it cannot change the ground reality.

The Indian Supreme Court upheld the legality of legislation Monday that was passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in 2019 that stripped the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region of its standing as a state, as well as its special status.

But Pakistan rejected the decision and said international law does not recognize India's unilateral and illegal actions on Aug. 5, 2019, and the judicial endorsement by the Indian Supreme Court has no legal value.

Kakar arrived in Muzzafarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir, to "show solidarity" with Kashmiris following the recent Indian top court ruling.

He visited the "martyrs' memorial" in Muzaffarabad to pay tribute to Kashmiris who were killed in the "freedom struggle."

"Such a decision that is aimed at solidifying India's illegal occupation of Kashmir, cannot change the ground realities. The people of Kashmir have categorically rejected this judgment," he said, according to state-run Pakistan Television.

Reiterating Islamabad's "steadfast" support to Kashmiris, Kakar said a durable peace in South Asia depends on a resolution of the long-smoldering Kashmir dispute.