ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday rejected a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs regarding the conviction of Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, a UN-designated individual, by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan.
"India has no locus standi to comment on the independent judicial mechanisms of Pakistan," said the foreign office in its statement. "In this regard the only 'compliance' that interests Pakistan is abiding by its own statutes and fulfillment of its international obligations."
The Indian ministry had dismissed the court verdict on Friday, claiming it was to instill "a sense of compliance" in the international community ahead of the plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in February.
"India's assertions to link Pakistan's due legal process with FATF are unfortunate," the foreign office added. "It is yet another Indian attempt to politicize FATF and use its processes against Pakistan. Pakistan reiterates its commitment to impartiality, confidentiality and technical nature of the FATF process."
The Pakistani statement also claimed that India was trying to conceal its failures to bring to justice those who were involved in "state terrorism and brutal suppression against the subjugated people of IIOJK [Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir] and other minority communities."
"As for the hypocritical Indian assertions regarding the 'terror infrastructure' and 'individual terrorists', irrefutable evidence has already been provided by Pakistan to the international community of the active aiding, abetting, planning, promoting, financing and execution of terrorist activities by India against Pakistan, with impunity," it added.
