ISLAMABAD, Aug 14: India asked Pakistan on Thursday to stop issuing what it called ‘objectionable’ statements on the situation in occupied Kashmir.

“It is not too late for Pakistani leaders and spokesman to desist from the course of action that they have recently embarked upon, and we will urge them to do so forthwith,” said an official statement of the spokesman for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued here by the Indian High Commission.

It said: “The government of India finds deeply objectionable the series of remarks by the official spokesman and leaders in Pakistan on recent events in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. We are witnessing a recurrence of Pakistani rhetoric and allegations that are factually wrong and that bear no relationship to reality.

“To call for international involvement in the sovereign internal affairs of India is gratuitous, illegal and only reflects reversion to a mindset that has led to no good consequences for Pakistan in the past.”

When contacted, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said there was nothing unusual in the statement issued by the Indian government, rather it was a reaction to Pakistan’s principled stand on Kashmir.

“Usually we do not reply to reactions because we have already conveyed our point of view on the issue and we will stick to it. We believe that Indian-held Kashmir is a disputed territory,” he said.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh have exchanged massages of greetings on the Independence Day of the two countries.

Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf has strongly condemned the acts of ‘state terrorism’ by the occupation forces in Kashmir and the killing of APHC leader Shaikh Abdul Aziz and innocent protesters.

According to an official press release, the president noted with deep concern the recent escalation of human rights abuses, ceasefire violations by Indian troops along the Line of Control and upsurge in crimes being perpetrated against the people of Kashmir.

He said the people of Pakistan were committed to providing diplomatic, political and moral support for the cause of Kashmir. He called for a negotiated settlement of the dispute acceptable to Pakistan, India and, most importantly, to the people of Kashmir for a lasting peace in South Asia.