Pakistan rejects India’s accusations of killing soldiers in Kashmir

Indian Minister and former Army Chief Gen. (retd.) VK Singh urged international community to isolate Pakistan and increase pressure on the country to tackle cross-border terrorism

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan has rejected allegations by India that it was involved in the killing of its security forces in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Three officers, including two members of the Indian army and a policeman, were reportedly killed when they clashed with armed rebels seeking to liberate the region from India.

According to recent reports, another soldier is missing while two others were injured in the clashes that erupted in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday.

Indian Minister and former Army Chief Gen. (retd.) VK Singh urged the international community to isolate Pakistan and increase pressure on the country to tackle cross-border terrorism.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zehra Baloch said she was “not surprised” if New Delhi blamed Islamabad for these killings.

Asked if New Delhi could use the incident to launch a “false flag operation” in Pakistan, Baloch said India has a habit of dragging Pakistan into its domestic politics.

In 2019, Indian fighter jets entered Pakistani territory to attack so-called terrorist hideouts following an armed attack on a convoy that killed 40 Indian soldiers.

The Pakistani air force shot down an Indian plane in return and captured the pilot, who was later released.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region, is held in part by India and Pakistan and claimed in full by both countries.

A small portion of Kashmir is also held by China.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir are fighting Indian rule for independence or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

Pakistani spokeswoman also spoke about the situation of women in Indian-administered Kashmir and said human rights violations” in the region continue unabated.

Baloch said women are “often targeted for violence and aggression to punish their families and communities for standing up” against India.”