The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday slammed the designation of supporters of the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists, terming it 'completely unjustified'.

The FO statement comes a day after the United States (US) State Department designated Hizbul Mujahideen's supreme commander Syed Salahuddin as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and imposed sanctions on him.

The decision drew criticism and condemnation from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), with Kashmiris chiding the US President Donald Trump's administration for "equating their legitimate struggle for internationally acknowledged right to self-determination with terrorism."

Explore: Kashmiri militant leader punished as Modi visits US

"The designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists is completely unjustified," FO Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said in a statement without naming Salahuddin or the US.

The development surfaced hours ahead of a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

Read more: Trump, Modi call on Pakistan to stem terrorist attacks

The FO reiterated Pakistan's longstanding commitment to countering terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations", adding that the Kashmiri struggle "remains legitimate".

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted "the gross and systematic violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people" in India-held Kashmir (IHK), saying that Indian security forces had intensified their "brutal policies of repression" in the region, including the use of pellet guns, extrajudicial killings, rape, use of human shields, arbitrary arrests, undocumented disappearances and other forms of violence and curbs to freedom.

Zakaria asserted that Pakistan would continue to extend "political, diplomatic and moral support for the just struggle of the Kashmiri people for the realisation of the right to self-determination and the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolutions."

Opinion

Editorial

Urban flooding
Updated 02 Aug, 2026

Urban flooding

THE warning from the disaster management and weather authorities that a new monsoon spell could trigger urban...
Fatal workplaces
02 Aug, 2026

Fatal workplaces

THE methane explosion near Quetta that killed 34 coal miners is the latest entry in Pakistan’s long register of...
Dual standards
02 Aug, 2026

Dual standards

IT appears that the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party has fallen foul of the Election Commission of Pakistan. A...
Maritime alliance
Updated 01 Aug, 2026

Maritime alliance

AS the US-Iran war drags on, new battle lines are being drawn. The pro-US Gulf Arab monarchies and Iran have enjoyed...
Local governance
01 Aug, 2026

Local governance

INTERIOR Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speech at a business summit on Thursday has stirred a hornet’s nest. His...
Murders in Balochistan
01 Aug, 2026

Murders in Balochistan

GOOD news is scarce in Balochistan. Seven labourers were abducted and gunned down in Turbat city recently. Four...