ISLAMABAD - Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said India was trying to hide its reign of terror in Held Kashmir by hurling vitriolic and unsubstantiated statements after the Uri attack.

He said India was misleading the world opinion through baseless allegations targeting Pakistan.

In a statement issued here, Aziz said: “Pakistan has noted with serious concern the recent spate of vitriolic and unsubstantiated statements emanating from Indian civil and military leadership in the aftermath of attack on Indian occupation forces in the Uri sector of the Indian-occupied Kashmir.”

Aziz said Pakistan categorically rejected the baseless and irresponsible accusations levelled by senior officials in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

“It is a blatant attempt on India’s part to deflect attention from the fast deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in the Indian-occupied Kashmir since the death of Burhan Wani,” he added.

Aziz stressed it needed to be understood that the situation in occupied Kashmir was not of Pakistan’s making but a direct consequence of illegal Indian occupation and a long history of atrocities that has resulted in over a 100,000 deaths.

More than 100 people have died and thousands injured during the recent episode of protest and ongoing curfew in the occupied territory over the past 73 days, he pointed out.

Moreover, a large number of youth have been blinded by the indiscriminate firing of pellet guns. Nobody has been spared the brute state force including the elderly, wounded patients in hospitals as women and children, he said. “This should awaken international conscience,” the adviser added.

He deplored Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s move to blame Pakistan for the incident even prior to conducting proper investigation.

Aziz said Indian minister’s statement was part of a pattern to mislead world opinion and cover up India’s reign of terror in held Kashmir.