“India rebukes Pakistan at UN after Islamabad raised the Kashmir issue during discussions on the UN Security Council’s annual report.“
India sharply pushed back against Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, accusing Islamabad of misusing international forums to advance its political agenda and reiterating that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and will always remain” an integral part of India.
The exchange unfolded during discussions on the United Nations Security Council’s annual report in New York, where Pakistan once again raised the Kashmir issue. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, responded directly, saying Pakistan had brought up matters that New Delhi considers strictly internal.”The unwarranted reference by Pakistan to a matter strictly internal to India … has compelled me to respond“, Harish told the General Assembly. He added that Pakistan had “decided not to spare this forum either from their characteristic misuse of august UN platforms.”
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The remarks came just a day after India’s Ministry of External Affairs lodged a formal protest against Pakistan’s planned June 7 elections in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly. New Delhi claims the region forms part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir that legally acceded to India in 1947.
In its statement, the MEA said Pakistan had no authority to conduct elections in territories India regards as illegally occupied. Government spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said such exercises could not alter India’s position on sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The dispute has unfolded against the backdrop of renewed diplomatic activity around Kashmir. India has recently rejected references to the region in both Pakistan-European Union and China-Pakistan joint statements, signaling a broader effort to challenge international mentions of the issue.
Harish used the UN platform to reinforce India’s long-standing position. “Being a member of the UN Security Council is a huge responsibility. It’s not a forum for peddling biased and false narratives“, he said during the session.
The latest exchange follows years of tension over Kashmir after India revoked Article 370 in August 2019 and reorganized the former state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Pakistan opposed the move and has repeatedly sought to raise the matter at international forums, while India argues that all outstanding issues must be addressed bilaterally.
Gilgit-Baltistan remains a particularly sensitive flashpoint. The mountainous region borders China and hosts key segments of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a major infrastructure network linking western China with Pakistan’s Arabian Sea coast. India has consistently objected to projects in the area, arguing they pass through territory it claims.
Pakistan maintains that Kashmir remains disputed and should be resolved according to the wishes of its people. India rejects that position, describing the accession signed in 1947 as legal, complete and irrevocable.
Saturday’s confrontation at the UN added another chapter to a dispute that has shaped relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours for nearly eight decades, with both governments once again hardening their public positions on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
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