India on Friday said Pakistan must be held accountable for its "horrific" human rights violations against innocent protesters in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Several areas in PoK have witnessed widespread protests with people demanding basic rights, justice and an end to what they described as systemic oppression.

"We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including brutalities by Pakistani forces on innocent civilians," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

"We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistan's oppressive approach and its systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation," he said.

Jaiswal was responding to a question at his weekly media briefing.

"Pakistan must be held accountable for its horrific human rights violations," he said.

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