No Talks on Bilateral Trade Resumption Between Pakistan and India: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) clarified on Friday that there are currently no discussions underway between Pakistan and India regarding the resumption of bilateral trade. FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, during her weekly press briefing, attributed the suspension of trade to India’s illegal and unilateral actions in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 2019.

Baloch highlighted that Pakistan had implemented several measures, including the suspension of trade, following the Indian government’s decision on August 5, 2019, to revoke Article 370 of its constitution, effectively annexing IIOJK. “This situation remains intact,” she stated, underscoring the continued impact of India’s actions on bilateral relations.

The spokesperson also condemned the recent killing of four Kashmiri youth by Indian occupation forces in Doda district, describing it as another instance of India’s ongoing oppression in the region. She called on the international community to take urgent and decisive action to hold India accountable for its severe human rights violations in IIOJK and to protect the rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people.

The FO reiterated that the primary objective behind observing Kashmir-related days is to expose Indian atrocities and to express solidarity with the people of occupied Kashmir.