India on Tuesday strongly criticised Pakistan for conducting the "so-called" assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), describing the exercise as a "cosmetic electoral exercise" aimed at masking its "illegal occupation" of the region and concealing alleged human rights violations, news agency IANS reported.

Addressing a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India's longstanding position that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas under Pakistan's control, are integral and inalienable parts of India.