India slams Islamabad over PoJK crackdown: ‘Pakistan-trained Mujahideen sent to India now turning against state’

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said that Pakistan's Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs had acknowledged that the Mujahideen groups once “trained, funded, armed and sent to India” by the country's establishment had now turned against the state and were posing a challenge internally.

India hit out at Islamabad after reports claimed that more than 40 people were killed and several others injured during recent anti-government protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

The remarks came after Sanaullah, in an earlier interview with Geo News, admitted that the protesters in PoJK were the same individuals who had previously been trained as Mujahideen and sent to fight, but had now become a problem for the country.

"The Special Assistant of the Prime Minister [of Pakistan] on Political Affairs has openly admitted that the very Mujahideen that the Pakistani establishment trained, funded, armed, and sent to India have turned their guns inwards, weaponising themselves against the state," the MEA spokesperson remarked, according to ANI.

Jaiswal mentioned the Pakistani authorities' response to peaceful demonstrators in PoJK reflected how Islamabad treated the people living under its control.

"As you and all of us have witnessed, the Pakistani establishment continues to unleash ruthless force against peaceful civilians in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This crackdown has resulted in the tragic death of over 40 innocent people, and many more have been seriously injured. It's the establishment's absolute disdain for the innocent people of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir that was laid bare when their Defence Minister branded the protesting civilians as enemies," Jaiswal stated.

MEA on ‘so-called elections’ in PoJK

Jaiswal also said the "so-called elections" in PoJK demonstrated the people's rejection of the Pakistani establishment. He added that those targeted in the crackdown had demanded an independent international probe into the violence.

"The so-called elections stand as a humiliating rejection of the Pakistan establishment. Facing a violent regime, the people have requested international organisations for an independent investigation into the unlawful killings. We urged that the international community should scrutinise Pakistan's actions and hold it accountable for its atrocities," he mentioned.

The comment came amid widespread protests across PoJK, where demonstrators have alleged large-scale electoral malpractice, political interference and the systematic curbing of democratic rights.

UKPNP reacts

Meanwhile, the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) urged the United Nations and the international community to intervene urgently, citing the deteriorating human rights situation in PoJK.

The organisation, in a statement posted on X, called on international institutions, governments and human rights groups to take swift action to safeguard civilians, ensure accountability and uphold international human rights standards.

The UKPNP specifically urged the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, China, global human rights organisations and the international media to respond to the escalating violence in the region.

India has consistently maintained that Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and has repeatedly voiced concerns over Pakistan's backing of cross-border terrorism and its treatment of civilians in the region.

(With inputs from agency)