PNN – Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry expressed concern in response to yesterday’s shooting of a group of tourists in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region, at a time when the two nuclear-armed South Asian countries have been experiencing the lowest level of diplomatic relations in their history for the past six years.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the Indian government declared the attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region, located 90 kilometers from the city of Srinagar, a terrorist act; an attack that left at least 24 dead.
Hours ago, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s Office issued a statement expressing concern over the human losses in what Islamabad calls the Indian-occupied Kashmir.
The statement said: Pakistan expresses its condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured in the incident.
India and Pakistan, two nuclear rivals on the subcontinent, have fought several wars over the Kashmir dispute, accusing each other of illegally occupying the territory, part of which is controlled by New Delhi and the other part by the Islamabad government.
New Delhi has consistently accused Islamabad of supporting armed insurgents in Kashmir, a charge that Pakistan denies; saying it only supports the legitimate struggle of the Muslim people of Kashmir for the right to self-determination.
India revoked the special status of Kashmir under its control in the summer of 2019. Following this decision, Pakistan and India, the two nuclear powers in South Asia, have been experiencing the lowest level of relations in their turbulent history for the past six years.