New Delhi: India strongly rejected Pakistan’s latest false remarks on Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) and slammed Islamabad’s observance of ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’ as a politically motivated campaign to spread “malicious propaganda”. MEA decoded the Youm-e-Istehsal campaign as a systematically calculated propoganda machine of Pakistan to divert the international attention from its internal fractures such as depleting human rights record and unequivocal support for terrorism.
India on August 5, Wednesday mounted a strong diplomatic response to Pakistan’s renewed illicit attack on Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the constitutional changes introduced on August 5, 2019, pertaining to Article 370 are an entirely internal matter and that Islamabad has no standing to comment on India’s domestic affairs.
Responding to media queries over remarks by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India “categorically rejects the political absurdity and futile attempts by Pakistan to observe the so-called Youm-e-Istehsal to spread malicious propaganda against India”.
Reiterating New Delhi’s position on J&K, Jaiswal said that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh “are, have always been and shall forever remain an integral and inalienable part of India”. He stressed that the constitutional changes made on August 5, 2019, had resulted in “unprecedented socio-economic development, good governance and democratic empowerment” of J&K. “Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on matters that are strictly internal to India”, Jaiswal reiterated.
#NewDelhi | India categorically rejects Pakistan's observance of "Youm-e-Istehsal," calling it "political absurdity" and "malicious propaganda", reiterating that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India. @MEAIndia stated that the constitutional changes of 5 August… pic.twitter.com/keWnHe6JQn
— DD News (@DDNewslive) August 5, 2026
Pakistan diverting global attention from its human rights crisis & state-sponsored terrorism
The MEA sharply criticised Islamabad & exposed its true intentions behind attacking India. Pakistan is attempting to shift international attention away from its own human rights record and state-sponsor of terrorism. Thus, it is escalating false narratives and misinformation stunt against India, to divert global focus from its internal misdeeds and socio-political & economic failures, MEA further added.
“Pakistan’s desperate attempts to peddle falsehoods are intended solely to deflect international attention from its own dismal human rights record and its status as the global epicentre of terrorism”, Jaiswal said. India also slammed Pakistan for its brutal crackdown on the civilians in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). New Delhi exposed how Pakistani security forces have recently used lethal force an escalated targeted killings against peaceful civil rights protests, including women and children.
“The international community is currently witnessing the brutal suppression of fundamental rights in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir”, Jaiswal said, describing the inhuman actions of Pakistani forces as “profound hypocrisy”. “Such state-sponsored violence against unarmed civilians exposes the profound hypocrisy of the Pakistani establishment”, MEA sharply criticised the atrocities of Islamabad.
New Delhi thus, advised Pakistan to stop violence in PoJK and take “credible, verifiable and irreversible action” against terror networks operating from Pakistani territory, instead of engaging in predictable diplomatic theatre.
MEA also warned Pakistan to “immediately vacate all Indian territories under its illegal and forcible occupation”. “The world is not fooled by these orchestrated spectacles”, MEA further sharply debunked and dismantled the false narrative network, misinformation campaign and illicit propoganda tool of Pakistan, unfairly targeted towards India.
India’s response came as Pakistan observed August 5, the day Article 370 was abrogated and Jammu & Kashmir was declared as the Union Territory of India as ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’ or Day of Exploitation. While, India observed and celebrated second anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 & reaffirmed its eternal sovereignty and territorial integrity over Kashmir, Pakistan indulged in spreading fake news against India.
Pakistan has continued to mark August 5 as ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’ since India’s 2019 constitutional changes. On that date, Parliament revoked the erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370 and reorganised it into the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. This is a clear misinformation agenda by Pakistan to manipulate facts in the international platforms.
India debunks Pakistan’s misinformation campaign; Reaffirms Kashmir as integral to India
Earlier, Ishaq Dar, Deputy PM & Foreign Minister of Pakistan described the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 as a “grave challenge” to the established international framework and urged the international community, particularly the United Nations, to play a greater role in resolving the Kashmir issue. Dar said Pakistan continued to support what it described as the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people and called for a settlement based on their aspirations and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
However, India has multiple times reiterated that Pakistan’s illicit claim over Kashmir is purely a bilateral issue and no third party mediation is appreciated. New Delhi has also reaffirmed that until Pakistan halts state-sponsor of terrorism, there is no scope for talks with Islamabad. Because, perpetrators and victims of Pakistan cannot sit across the table and indulge in dialogue.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, highlighted a new phase of growth and empowerment in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. He said the full application of the Constitution had strengthened rights, accelerated development and empowered sections of the Union Territory that was previously excluded and neglected.
