Pakistan on Saturday rejected India’s characterisation of Jammu and Kashmir as an internal matter, telling a United Nations General Assembly committee that the territory’s final status remains unresolved and must be determined in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Speaking during the general debate of the Third Committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Pakistan’s First Secretary Sarfraz Ahmed Gohar said Islamabad rejected New Delhi’s assertion that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India.
“Pakistan categorically rejects India’s futile attempts to dismiss the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as a so-called internal matter,” Gohar said, according to remarks shared by Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
He maintained that Kashmir was an internationally recognised disputed territory whose final status had yet to be determined in accordance with the wishes of its people and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Gohar accused India of failing to meet what Pakistan considers its international obligations under those resolutions and urged New Delhi to move towards a peaceful settlement of the longstanding dispute.
The Pakistani representative also highlighted human rights violations and discrimination against religious minorities in India, citing Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other communities.
He said that religion-based violence, hate speech, discrimination and attacks on places of worship had become increasingly prevalent under the government led by India’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
Gohar added Pakistan remained committed to dialogue, diplomacy and the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the UN Charter, arguing that such an approach was necessary for peace and stability in South Asia.
The exchange came as the General Assembly’s Third Committee began its work for the 81st session.
