ISLAMABAD: Pakistan rejected fresh order of Indian Supreme Court upholding its earlier ruling that had endorsed Indian government’s unilateral decision of revoking special status of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Article 370 of Constitution through legislation in 2019.

“We reject fresh order of Indian Supreme Court just as we had rejected earlier order of December 11, 2023. Two verdicts fail to recognise internationally recognised disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Supreme Court judgments cannot distract international community’s attention from gross and systemic human rights violation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at her weekly press briefing. She said Kashmiris had an inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in UN Security Council’s resolutions. India has no right to make unilateral decisions on status of disputed territory against will of parties in dispute-Kashmiris and Pakistan, she added.

Spokesperson welcomed announcement by Ireland, Spain and Norway to recognise Palestine state, following similar announcement by Bahamas, Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados and called it milestone in decades-old quest of Palestinian people for their right to self-determination. Highlighting the diplomatic engagements during previous week, she mentioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to United Arab Emirates where he met President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, besides interacting with investors and entrepreneurs.