File photo: PM Modi with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Ufa, Russia.
India has said that it will 'reply' if Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raises the Kashmir issue in his address at the UN General Assembly scheduled for this month.
"When a statement comes from him (on Kashmir), then we will reply," said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
Earlier, a senior Pakistani diplomat in Islamabad said Mr Sharif is conscious about the importance of Kashmir and would raise the issue at the United Nations General Assembly.
The Pakistani diplomat also said the Pakistan Prime Minister, however, would offer several steps to de-escalate the tension and establish peace along the Line of Control (LoC).
Mr Sharif is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 30.
Last year too, Mr Sharif had raised the Kashmir issue at the UN, evoking strong reaction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who protested to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, saying raising bilateral issues on such fora was not the way to resolve them.
The leaders of the two counties had met in Ufa earlier this year on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Summit hosted by Russia. The foreign secretary-level talks agreed on during the bilateral meeting were later cancelled after a disagreement over the agenda of talks.