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You've no locus standi, says India as Pakistan declares Burhan Wani a 'martyr'

India took strong umbrage on Friday to Pakistan declaring July 19 as 'black day' to express solidarity with Kashmiri people over killing of Hizbul poster boy Burhan Wani.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif
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Although a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Tuesday, soon after his return from Africa, had decided to take steps to limit the diplomatic fallout of the Kashmir situation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), over the past few days, had largely ignored Pakistan's rants. It expected them to subside, and also believed them to be political compulsions of prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

The new acrimony between the two countries is taking centrestage exactly a year after both the prime ministers were celebrating Ufa declaration, in which Pakistan committed to address India's concerns on terrorism and also omitted the mention of the K-word.

But on Friday, India issued a statement, taking strong umbrage to Pakistan declaring July 19 as 'black day' to express solidarity with Kashmiri people over killing of Hizbul poster boy Burhan Wani, and subsequent deaths during protests.

The ministry also hit out at Pakistan for continuing to glorify terrorists belonging to proscribed terror groups, saying it makes amply clear where Pakistan's sympathies lie. "India completely and unequivocally rejects in entirety the decisions adopted by the Cabinet of Pakistan on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. We are dismayed at the continued attempts by Pakistan to interfere in our internal matters, where, we reiterate, Pakistan or any other external party has no locus standi," MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. He hoped that Pakistan will respond constructively to its initiatives for peace and normalising bilateral relationship.

Earlier on Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared Wani, the slain Hizbul commander, a "martyr" and said July 19 will be observed as black day to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir. He was addressing a special cabinet meeting in Lahore to discuss the situation in the state. Even though Pakistanis go on vacations every February 5, when their government observes Kashmir solidarity day, a call by the head of government for a shutdown and observing a black day only reminds Pakistan's popular PM Zulfiqar Bhutto's similar call against 1975 peace accord, signed between prime minister Indira Gandhi and Kashmir's towering leader Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. The peace accord ended Abdullah's association with Plebiscite Front and anointed him as the chief minister.

Federal minister for ports and shipping Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo told Dawn that cabinet members agreed all Pakistani embassies worldwide as well as the Foreign Office to register a protest against atrocities in Kashmir by submitting resolutions to the United Nations. Members of the cabinet also decided to call a joint session of parliament to discuss the Kashmir issue, but a date for the session was not agreed upon, Bizenjo said.

India also asked Pakistan to desist from further interferance in its internal affairs and destabilising the situation in South Asia through support to terrorism and other subversive acts. "The self serving actions by Pakistan in the last few days to derive political mileage out of the recent developments in J&K follow planned infiltration and terrorism aimed at India from across the Line of Control and the International Boundary," said Swarup. "The attempts in Pakistan by various players to ingratiate themselves to the people of J&K in the run-up to the so called elections in territories under Pakistan's illegal occupation will not succeed," he said.

The main opposition party, Congress, also criticised Pakistan's attempts to fish in troubled waters. Party spokesman Manish Tiwari also blamed Modi government for giving Pakistan a chance to bring Kashmir issue back to the international stage. "When was the last time we had heard from the Secretary General of the United Nations on Kashmir and also by the US?" he asked. He blamed Modi for not having any policy with regards to Pakistan.

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