India summons Pakistan envoy, protests minister’s phone call to Mirwaiz

The government of India’s position that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and shall remain an integral part of India, and that Pakistan has no locus standi in any matters related to the state, has been made clear again to the High Commissioner of Pakistan.

India on Wednesday summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood and lodged a strong protest over the telephone conversation initiated by Pakistani foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.

Pakistan High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood leaves from Ministry of External Affairs. (ANI/Twitter)

A statement from the ministry of external affairs said “Foreign Secretary conveyed the Government of India’s condemnation in the strongest terms of this latest brazen attempt by Pakistan to subvert India’s unity and to violate our sovereignty and territorial integrity, by none other than the Pakistan Foreign Minister.”

Qureshi had spoken with Farooq over phone and briefed him on Islamabad’s efforts to highlight alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry.

This was the first time the Pakistan government reached out to the Hurriyat after Prime Minister Imran Khan assumed office last year. Mirwaiz said Qureshi was disappointed that despite Khan trying to “reach out sincerely” to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, the “government of India did not respond”, people familiar with developments said.

The government of India’s position that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and shall remain an integral part of India, and that Pakistan has no locus standi in any matters related to the state, has been made clear again to the High Commissioner of Pakistan.