Pakistan has repeatedly tried to convince the UN to intervene in Kashmir dispute with India (File)
Highlights
- Pak envoy to the UN raises Kashmir issue during debate on decolonisation
- India strongly rejects remarks, says Kashmir not part of agenda
- Pak flagrantly misusing forum for its territorial aggrandisement: India
Hitting back at Pakistan for raising the Kashmir issue again at the United Nations, India termed the country as a "fly-by-night operator" saying Islamabad "flagrantly" misuses the forum of the world body for its "territorial aggrandisement".
Exercising the Right of Reply, Minister in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, Srinivas Prasad, strongly rejected remarks on Kashmir made by Pakistan's envoy to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi.
"We are constrained to take the floor to exercise our Right of Reply because we have just heard one country - Pakistan - make reference to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in a rather self-serving and disingenuous attempt to bring an extraneous issue to this committee," Mr Prasad said during the General Debate of the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee here yesterday.
Rejecting Maleeha Lodhi's comments entirely, Mr Prasad said "Pakistan, acting like a fly-by-night operator, has attempted to flagrantly misuse the forum provided by the Committee for its territorial aggrandisement".
He asserted that Kashmir is not on the agenda of the committee, which is focussed on decolonisation and "non-self-governing territories".
"The issue is rightly not on the agenda of the Committee which looks after the non-self-governing territories," Mr Prasad said adding Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.
He said "Pakistan will be well advised not to disrespect the intelligence of the Committee and abide by its agenda".
Ties between India and Pakistan have been strained since four Pakistani terrorists sneaked into an Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri, killing 19 Indian soldiers last month.
India responded with a policy to diplomatically isolate Pakistan, hammering its role in promoting terrorism around the world and with surgical military strikes across the de facto border between the two countries, targeting seven launch pads or staging areas for terrorists.