{"id":69047,"date":"2024-03-09T00:23:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-09T00:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/fo-flays-efforts-to-portray-normalcy-in-held-kashmir\/"},"modified":"2024-03-09T00:23:05","modified_gmt":"2024-03-09T00:23:05","slug":"fo-flays-efforts-to-portray-normalcy-in-held-kashmir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/fo-flays-efforts-to-portray-normalcy-in-held-kashmir\/","title":{"rendered":"FO flays efforts to portray \u2018normalcy\u2019 in held Kashmir"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>ISLAMABAD\/SRINAGAR: As Indian PM Narendra Modi <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1819913\/kashmiris-protest-modis-visit-to-occupied-territory\">arrived<\/a> in held Kashmir for his first visit since he scrapped its special status under Article 370 of India\u2019s constitution, Pakistan dismissed the move as \u201cpart of India\u2019s efforts to portray normalcy\u201d in the disputed region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe believe that these efforts to project normalcy are a facade and tourism cannot be promoted in a situation where local people are being intimidated and their rights and freedoms are being denied,\u201d Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in her weekly press briefing on Thursday.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  w-full  w-full  media--stretch  media--embed  \">\n<p><div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Spokesperson&#039;s Weekly Press Briefing 07-03-24 at Ministry of Foreign Affairs Islamabad\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HgXlODC5ewA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Modi\u2019s government had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1498227\">stripped<\/a> the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley of its special constitutional status nearly five years ago, splitting the occupied region into two territories directly ruled from New Delhi, which angered Kashmiris in the densely militarised territory.<\/p>\n<p>Taking pride in having cancelled the occupied region\u2019s constitutional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1763985\">special status<\/a> and inherited protections of land and jobs for its permanent residents, he claimed that the old rules and \u201cdynastic politics\u201d had limited the region\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote-level-1\">\n<p>Modi embarks on first visit to disputed region in five years; takes pride in having revoked its special status<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI am working hard to win your hearts, and my attempt to keep winning your hearts will continue,\u201d <em>AFP<\/em> quoted the Hindu nationalist leader as saying at a public rally in Srinagar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[India-held] Jammu and Kashmir is not just a region, it is the crown of the country,\u201d Modi told the rally in a stadium.<\/p>\n<p>According to <em>AFP<\/em>, security forces on Thursday patrolled the streets, as well as in motorboats along the river that runs through Srinagar. Most schools in the city were shut for the day, and the authorities had called on government employees to attend the rally.<\/p>\n<p>Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of held Kashmir, accused the government of organising buses to bring in crowds, alleging that \u201calmost none\u201d would be attending willingly.<\/p>\n<p>Modi also remotely inaugurated a slew of development projects and government schemes for boosting agro-economy and tourism in held Kashmir and other parts of India. The projects included new infrastructure around the revered Muslim shrine of Hazratbal in the city.<\/p>\n<p>The visit comes ahead of India\u2019s national elections due by May, the first since the region lost its autonomy. The last local elections in held Kashmir were held in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Modi\u2019s government claims New Delhi\u2019s direct rule of Kashmir brought about a new era of \u201cpeace and development\u201d, but critics and many residents say it heralded a drastic curtailment of civil liberties and press freedom.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about the new government\u2019s policy on ties with India, Ms Baloch responded with a blend of cautious optimism and steadfast priorities.<\/p>\n<p>As the country awaits the formation of its new cabinet, she suggested the appointment of new foreign minister will pave the way for defining the trajectory of Pakistan\u2019s diplomatic interactions, including those with India.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Cabinet formation is yet to take place, and once the Cabinet is in place, we will have a direction with regard to the foreign policy and Pakistan\u2019s relations with other countries, including its neighbors,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe would then be in a better position to respond to queries on how this will impact Pakistan\u2019s interaction with India in the coming days,\u201d she added. Emphasising the country\u2019s desire for harmonious relations, she reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s long-standing position on engaging with all its neighbors, including India, on a foundation of respect and equality.<\/p>\n<p>However, her remarks also underscored the importance of addressing critical issues that have long marred bilateral relations, including allegations of support for terrorism and concerns over extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings attributed to India.<\/p>\n<p>Kashmir remains a pivotal point in Pakistan\u2019s diplomatic stance, with the Foreign Office making it clear that the disputed territory will always be a priority in any engagement with India. \u201cKashmir will always be a priority when such engagement takes place,\u201d the spokesperson emphasized, highlighting the issue\u2019s centrality to Pakistan\u2019s foreign policy and its relationship with India.<\/p>\n<p><em>Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD\/SRINAGAR: As Indian PM Narendra Modi arrived in held Kashmir for his first visit since he scrapped its special status under Article 370 of India\u2019s constitution, Pakistan dismissed the move as \u201cpart of India\u2019s efforts to portray normalcy\u201d in the disputed region. \u201cWe believe that these efforts to project normalcy are a facade and tourism [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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