New York: India has lodged a strong protest against Pakistan for raising the Kashmir issue during a United Nations forum, accusing Islamabad of politicising the platform and misusing its position as co-chair instead of maintaining the impartiality expected of the role.
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, P. Harish, made the remarks in response to comments by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, during the UN meeting.
Responding to Pakistan’s intervention, Ambassador Harish criticised the conduct of the co-chair and reiterated India’s longstanding position that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and that matters related to it are strictly internal.
He also underscored the importance of maintaining neutrality while presiding over multilateral forums and objected to what India described as Pakistan’s attempt to politicise the proceedings.
During his intervention, Ambassador Harish also referred to the ongoing review of UN mandates under the UN-80 framework, which aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the United Nations system.
