India slams Pakistan for "cynically" misusing ASEAN Regional Forum to peddle falsehoods

New Delhi: India on Thursday strongly criticised the "baseless and unwarranted" comments made by Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar regarding Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) during the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting in Manila.

New Delhi termed the remarks yet another "futile attempt" by the Pakistestablishment to deflect attention from its domestic crisis and its established role as a safe haven for global terrorist networks.

Also Read: Competition regulator dismisses consumer complaint on 'abuse of dominance' by Zomato


External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the high-level ministerial sessions in the Philippine capital over the last two days under the ASEAN framework, encompassing the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS), and ARF meetings.

Responding to media queries on Dar's assertions, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted that a multilateral forum was once again "cynically exploited" by Islamabad to amplify falsehoods and peddle state-sponsored disinformation.

"India categorically rejects the baseless and unwarranted comments made by the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Pakistan. It is no surprise that a multilateral forum has once again been cynically exploited by Pakistan to amplify falsehoods, peddle state-sponsored disinformation, and divert attention from its own well-documented record of sponsoring cross-border terrorism," Jaiswal stated.

Also Read: Acts of terror will have consequences: S Jaishankar at ASEAN Regional Forum

Reaffirming New Delhi's stance, the Ministry reiterated that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh "have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India", emphasising that Pakistan holds no locus standi to comment on the matter.

Addressing the status of regional water distribution agreements following cross-border attacks, the MEA spokesperson outlined New Delhi's firm policy.

"Similarly, India's position on the Indus Waters Treaty remains consistent. IWT stands in abeyance in response to Pakistan's continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism, including the dastardly Pahalgam attack. IWT will continue to be held in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism," the spokesperson added.

India noted that rather than pointing fingers at neighbouring states and misusing global platforms, Pakistan would serve its citizenry significantly better by dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil and ordering its internal affairs.

"We also strongly condemn Pakistan's continued practice of propagating officially sponsored disinformation, often dressed in religious terminology such as the use of terms like Fitna al-Hindustan. This is a futile attempt by the Pakistani establishment to deflect attention from its own internal crisis and its well-proven role as a safe haven for global terrorist networks," Jaiswal said.