Pakistan blasts US support for India

The Pakistani government has lashed out at the US President Barack Obama’s decision to support India’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Islamabad condemned the move and expressed strong disappointment in Washington’s decision.

A federal cabinet resolution on Wednesday said that President Obama’s recent vow to back India’s bid was “incomprehensible.”

“It is incomprehensible that the US has sought to support India, whose credentials with respect to observing UN charter principles and international law are at best checkered,” the resolution said.

The developments come after the President Obama publicly supported India’s quest for a permanent Security Council seat in his recent visit to the country.

Islamabad has accused India of disregarding US Security Council resolutions. It also accused India of systematic violations of human rights in Kashmir.

Kashmir has been rocked by a wave of protests over the death of a teenager, who was killed when Indian police fired teargas shells during an anti-India demonstration in June.

The region’s influential separatist politicians have threatened to continue the protests until India declares Kashmir an “international dispute” and releases all political prisoners.

At least 110 people have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir since the beginning of the unrest.

Several rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called on India to take immediate steps to protect and respect human rights in Kashmir.

Both Islamabad and New Delhi claim Kashmir in full, but rule over parts of it and have fought two wars over the region.

Thousands have been killed in volatile Indian-administered Kashmir since 1989.

The US president’s decision to spend three days in India, while bypassing Pakistan, has also come under fierce criticism.

A recent Washington Post report has said that the move sparked anxiety among government officials in Islamabad due to fears that the Obama’s visit could upset the delicate balance of power between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Islamabad foreign office says Obama’s endorsement of India’s candidature for a UNSC seat adds to the “complexity” of UN reforms.

“Pakistan believes that US endorsement of India’s bid for a permanent seat in the Security Council adds to the complexity of the process of reforms of the Council,” Pakistani foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit said in a statement on Tuesday.