India Rejects Zardari's Kashmir Remarks, Says Pakistan Has 'No Locus Standi'

India on Saturday strongly rejected remarks made by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Kashmir , asserting that he has no authority to comment on matters that are strictly internal to India.

Responding to Zardari's statements, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India " categorically rejects " the comments and described them as both unwarranted and baseless.

"India categorically rejects the unwarranted comments made by the President of Pakistan. He has, in any case, no locus standi to comment on matters that are internal to India," Jaiswal said in an official response.

The MEA spokesperson further criticized Pakistan's human rights record , calling Zardari's remarks "particularly absurd" in light of what he described as Pakistan's treatment of minorities.

"These comments are particularly absurd given Pakistan's own abysmal record on human rights , which is a matter of global commentary," Jaiswal said.

He also accused Pakistan of having a long history of targeting and victimising religious minorities, adding that the Pakistani president's comments appeared to be a politically motivated attack .

"Given this reality, the President's remarks can only be read as a deliberate political attack, driven by Pakistan's national policies of bigotry and hatred," he added.

The sharp response came after President Zardari made remarks concerning Kashmir, a subject that has long remained a point of contention between India and Pakistan. New Delhi has consistently maintained that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India and that all issues relating to the region are internal matters or, where applicable, bilateral matters to be addressed directly between the two countries.

Relations between India and Pakistan have remained strained in recent years, particularly over issues related to cross-border terrorism and Kashmir, with New Delhi repeatedly rejecting external comments on the issue.