In a statement issued on Sunday, the FO has said that the revelations by the former governor of Indian-Occupied Kashmir have demonstrated how India has used the excuse of terrorism to hide its domestice problems.

“His disclosures demonstrate how the Indian leadership has habitually used the bogey of terrorism from Pakistan to advance its sham victimhood narrative and the Hindutva agenda, clearly for domestic political gains,” the statement said.

Satya Pal Malik was the last governor of IOK before the scrapping of Article 370 removed its special status. He had claimed in a recent interview that the Pulwama attack that killed 40 soldiers in February 2019 was caused due to ‘negligence’ of India’s authorities.

He had also claimed that he had talked to Narendra Modi about the issue but had been told by the prime miniter to keep quiet.

The attack had led to accusations of terrorism in India being sponsored by Pakistan and had led to air strikes by both countries that led to Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman being captured.

“It is time India be held accountable for the actions that imperiled regional peace in the aftermath of Pulwama attack,” the FO statement said.