‘Mujahideen sent to bleed India have turned guns inwards’: India seeks global scrutiny of Pakistan's crackdown in PoJK

India on Friday asked for Pakistan's actions in occupied Kashmir (PoK) to be scrutinised and Islamabad be held accountable for the “ruthless” crackdown on protesters in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) this week.Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir would continue to be an integral part of India. (ANI)Ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, addressing the weekly media briefing, claimed that Pakistan's Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs had acknowledged that militants trained and armed by Pakistan to target India had now turned against the Pakistani state."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 said.Jaiswal said Pakistan unleashed “ruthless force” against civilians in PoJK, where protests intensified in recent weeks over rising living costs, alleged administrative neglect, political discrimination and atrocities against minorities.Around 40 people have been killed since July 27 in a security crackdown during local body elections in PoJK, PTI reported. The protests are being led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).“This crackdown has resulted in the tragic death of over 40 civilians and serious injuries to many,” Jaiswal said.ALSO READ | 'Cockroach' fear reaches Pakistan, top minister says 'they can overturn everything'The MEA spokesperson accused the Pakistani establishment of showing “absolute disdain” for the people of PoJK, pointing to remarks by Pakistan's defence minister, who allegedly described protesters as “enemies”.“Adding to this, the Special Assistant to the prime minister on political affairs openly admitted that the very 'mujahideen' that Pakistani establishment trained, armed and sent to bleed India have now turned their guns inward, weaponising themselves against the state,” Jaiswal said.Calling the recent local body election outcome a “humiliating rejection” of Pakistan's establishment, Jaiswal said the people of PoJK had appealed to international organisations for an independent investigation into the killings.“We urge that the international community should scrutinise Pakistan's actions and hold it accountable for its atrocities,” he said.'Entire J&K is India's'Jaiswal also said that the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh, “was, is and will continue to be” an integral part of India after recent international references to the region. “We are very clear that the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, is an integral and inalienable part of India. That is our position.""These territories were part of India, are part of India, and will continue to be part of India. We would urge all our partners and stakeholders to use the correct nomenclature for the region as we understand it,” he said.Row over The New York Times headlineThe remarks came days after India objected to The New York Times describing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as “Pakistani Kashmir” in a report on the violence in the region.The Indian Embassy in the United States criticised the headline on X, saying, “Misleading and incorrect headline by @nytimes. There is no Pakistani Kashmir, only Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.”The embassy also accused the neighbouring country of illegally occupying parts of the region and using violence against the people living there.Pakistan responded through its embassy in Washington, rejecting India's position as “illegal and baseless”. It said Jammu and Kashmir remained an “internationally recognised disputed territory” and accused India of attempting to divert attention from alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.ALSO READ | ‘Disputed territory’: Pakistan reacts to India's ‘no Pakistani Kashmir’ remarkEarlier this month, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, told the UN that Jammu and Kashmir “has always been, is, and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India”. He also called it the country's “constitutional and legal reality”.