P Harish reiterated that all matters pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir are strictly internal to India, and the Union Territory “is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India”.
New Delhi: In a rejoinder to Pakistan over “unwarranted references” to Jammu and Kashmir, India’s Permanent Representative P Harish said during a United Nations General Assembly session on Friday warned Islamabad against “peddling false and biased narratives”.
Reiterating all matters pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir are strictly internal to India, Harish said the Union Territory “is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India”. “Any assertions to the contrary are baseless, devoid of and inconsistent with historical facts. Empty rhetoric and hollow claims by Pakistan would not change this fundamental reality,” Harish said.
He was responding to Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad’s references to the Union Territory during a discussion of the Council’s Annual Report to the General Assembly.
Reminding Pakistan of the “huge responsibility” that comes with being a member of the UN Security Council , Harish said, “Pakistan has decided not to spare this forum either from their characteristic misuse of august UN platforms for their divisive political interests.”
Pakistan’s two-year term as an elected member of the Security Council ends this year.
Watch P Harish’s statement at UN General Assembly:
India’s Protest Over Gilgit Baltistan
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) lodged a strong protest over Pakistan’s plans to hold June 7 general elections to the so-called Gilgit-Baltistan assembly, maintaining that the region is Indian territory that has been “illegally and forcibly” occupied.
“The government of India further emphasised that such endeavours by Pakistan cannot mask the underlying issues of grave human rights violations, political repression, economic exploitation and denial of freedom in territories illegally occupied by Pakistan,” it said in a statement.
“The government of India categorically rejects any attempts by Pakistan to bring material change to areas under Pakistan’s illegal occupation, and underlines that such actions cannot hide the fact that Pakistan illegally remains in possession of Indian territories, which it must vacate,” the ministry said.
Later, Islamabad rejected India’s remarks, with the Foreign Office saying that Pakistan “categorically rejects India’s baseless remarks regarding the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan”.
