India has repeatedly criticised the Pakistani leadership in the weeks since the August 5 decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, accusing Khan and other leaders of war-mongering and calling for jihad in Kashmir. Delivering a speech at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 13, Khan had asked people to be prepared to march towards the LoC on his call

The external affairs ministry on Friday strongly criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remarks that called for jihad against India and asked people to march across the Line of Control (LoC), saying the comments did not behove the office held by him.

Delivering a speech at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 13, Khan had asked people to be prepared to march towards the LoC on his call. “Don’t go towards the LoC till I tell you to. I will tell you when to go and you shouldn’t go now,” Khan had told the rally.

“We condemn such irresponsible and provocative rhetoric in the strongest words. He doesn’t know how international relations are conducted. But the more serious thing is that he made an open call that you march on, and for jihad against India,” said external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, speaking in Hindi.

“His open call to cross the border and violate another country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and enter it, this statement does not behove the office he occupies,” Raveesh Kumar added.

The foreign ministry’s stinging attack on the Pakistan prime minister comes against the backdrop of efforts by Islamabad to internationalise the Kashmir issue. It is as part of this exercise that the leadership of Turkey and Malaysia, especially Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, had also made some statements. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told a weekly news briefing on Friday that these remarks too were factually incorrect and biased.

India has repeatedly criticised the Pakistani leadership in the weeks since the August 5 decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, accusing Khan and other leaders of war-mongering and calling for jihad in Kashmir.

“This is not the first time such a statement has come from Pakistan. The prime minister occupies a high constitutional office and he has made similar statements earlier too. You have heard his statement at the UN General Assembly and he has used quite provocative and irresponsible language,” Kumar said.

“This isn’t normal behaviour and we have repeatedly said Pakistan and its leaders do not behave the way a normal neighbour should. Not that we expect it from them, but sometimes, we do because they are a neighbour,” he said.

On the statements by Turkey and Malaysia, Kumar said India had friendly relations with Turkey, and deeply regrets that there have been repeated statements by the Turkish government since August 6 on a matter that “is completely internal to India”.

“These statements are factually incorrect, biased and unwarranted. We call upon the government of Turkey to get a proper understanding of the situation on the ground before they make any further statements on this issue,” he added.

India’s criticism of the remarks by Mahathir – who told the UN General Assembly that Jammu and Kashmir had been “invaded and occupied” and that India’s action in the state was “wrong” – was harsher.

Noting the traditionally good and friendly ties with Malaysia that had been strengthened in recent years, Kumar said: “Therefore, we were quite surprised and we deeply regret that the comment...made by the prime minister of Malaysia...is not based on facts.”

He said Jammu and Kashmir had signed the instrument of accession like other princely states that existed at the time of India’s independence, and it was Pakistan which “invaded and illegally occupied parts” of the state and this had been recognised by the international community.

“The current development in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is a purely internal matter of India and doesn’t involve any third country. The government of Malaysia should bear in the friendly relations between our two countries and desist from making such remarks,” he said.