New York [US], July 24 (ANI): India on Thursday (US Local time) slammed Pakistan for its continued suppression of basic rights and stifling of fundamental freedoms of Kashmiris in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The remarks were made by Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, India's Permanent Representative at the United Nations, during the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Strengthening the Mechanisms for Peaceful Settlement of Disputes.

He brought attention to the ongoing developments in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and how it fully exposes the true nature of the Pakistani state.

'The world is witness to the continued suppression of basic rights, freedom of expression and association and stifling of fundamental freedoms of Kashmiris in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. These are not isolated instances, but part of a larger design by the Pakistani establishment in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir for close to eight decades,' Ambassador Harish said.

He further noted how the pattern extends to other regions of Pakistan that also face repression.

'Incarceration of leaders including a former Prime Minister, electoral outlawing of the main opposition party, a constitutional coup by the military through the 27th Amendment, and other such actions have decimated any semblance of democracy.'

Ambassador Harish added, 'Pakistan would do well to look inward and address the real issues in the country rather than resorting to fabricated narrative construction with religious imagery aimed at scoring domestic brownie points and misleading the wider UN membership.'

He added, 'While similar developments in other countries are excoriated by the United Nations, such repression and developments in Pakistan do not receive the attention they deserve.'

Ambassador Harish slammed Pakistan for its brazen attempt to misuse the august platform for its divisive agenda and reiterated that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has always been, is, and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India.

'This is the constitutional and legal reality that Pakistan deliberately chooses to ignore. The only outstanding issue with regard to Jammu and Kashmir is the naked aggression and illegal occupation of India's sovereign territory by Pakistan,' he said in his remarks. (ANI)