Pakistan slams India's move to alter J&K's domicile law, accuses New Delhi of 'taking advantage' of global focus on coronavirus

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday termed as "reprehensible' India's decision to change the domicile law for Jammu and Kashmir when the international community's focus is on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

It also expressed concern over what it said was a lack of medical supplies in Kashmir to help the local people fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that six international human rights organisations in a joint statement recently underscored that measures to combat COVID-19 must respect human rights of every individual and urgently release all political prisoners, human rights defenders and all those arrested in Kashmir after 5 August, 2019.

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Representational image. Reuters

The spokesperson also condemned the new domicile law introduced in the region.

Under the new law, anyone who has resided for 15 years in Jammu and Kashmir or has studied for seven years and appeared in Class 10 and Class 12 examinations in an educational institution located in the Union Territory is a domicile.

"The [law] is another illegal step by India,” she said.

Farooqui said that the changes made in the laws at the time of global health crisis was a “reprehensible act as it seeks to take advantage of the international community's focus on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."

Pakistan has been unsuccessfully trying to drum up international support against India for withdrawing Jammu and Kashmir's special status on 5 August and bifurcating it into two Union territories.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.