On Tuesday, India responded to Pakistan for raising the Jammu and Kashmir issue again during a United Nations discussion on peacekeeping reforms and urged the neighboring nation to withdraw from areas of the region it has “illegally occupied.”
Speaking at the UN Security Council, India’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, termed Pakistan’s continual mention of Jammu and Kashmir as ‘unwarranted’ and strongly restated that the area “was, is, and will always remain a integral part of India.”
“India must observe that the representative of Pakistan has once more made inappropriate comments regarding the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. These continual references do not authenticate their unlawful assertions nor defend their government-backed terrorism across borders,” Harish remarked.
The Indian representative reiterated the nation’s enduring stance on the issue, stating that “Jammu and Kashmir was, is, and will forever be a vital part of India.” He also emphasized that Pakistan still occupies portions of Jammu and Kashmir unlawfully and reaffirmed that it “needs to vacate” the area.
“Pakistan persists in unlawfully holding onto the land of Jammu and Kashmir, which it needs to relinquish. We recommend that Pakistan refrain from attempting to shift the focus of this forum to pursue their narrow and divisive objectives. India will avoid using a more detailed Right of Reply,” he stated.
Harish responded sharply after Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister, brought up the topic of Jammu and Kashmir during a Security Council discussion on the future of UN peacekeeping.
ALSO READ: Boeing lays off 180 employees in India under global workforce reduction
Just last week, India criticized Pakistan during the UN Human Rights Council (UNHR) gathering in Geneva, denying its claims of human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir.
“India is asserting its right to respond to the unfounded and harmful remarks made by Pakistan.” “It is unfortunate to witness Pakistan’s alleged leaders and representatives persistently disseminating untruths propagated by its military-terrorist establishment,” stated Indian envoy Kshitij Tyagi.
India has expressed its desire for normal, peaceful relations with Pakistan, yet it has clearly asserted that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment devoid of terrorism and animosity for any substantial dialogue to occur between the two countries.
