India on Monday dismissed Pakistan’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations, saying they were mischievous and that New Delhi will not be issuing a response.
In an open debate on effective multilateralism at the UN Security Council, Pakistani delegate Munir Akram had alleged that India has “subverted and suppressed the rights of the Kashmiri people through force and fraud”.
Akram urged the Security Council to become more representative, accountable, democratic, transparent and effective, rather than being “an enlarged club of the large and powerful states.”
In response, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj said that the remarks by Pakistan arose out of “ignorance and lack of an understanding about the basic facts of decolonisation”.
“I will not be wasting the time of this council in responding to those remarks,” Kamboj said. “Our advice to that delegation [Pakistan’s] is please refer to our numerous rights of reply that we have expressed in the past.”
In March, India had dismissed Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at a United Nations Security Council debate on women, peace and security as malicious and false propaganda.
“Rather, our [India’s] focus is where it shall always be – positive and forward-looking.” Kamboj had said.
Relations between India and Pakistan worsened in 2019 after the Centre revoked Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
New Delhi has consistently held that the whole of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and has opposed any outside interference in the region.
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