WATCH | India slams Pakistan after chooses to rake up Kashmir during UNGA vote on Russia-Ukraine war
24 Feb 2023 12:44:55
New York, Feb 24: Amid severe economic crisis and intense terror attacks in the country, Pakistan still wants to rake up Kashmir at the UN while explaining why Islamabad abstained on a resolution calling on Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine.
However, India dismissed Pakistan's attempt to link Kashmir to the Ukraine situation calling it a mischievous provocation and advised it to look at New Delhi's previous rights of reply.
Pratik Mathur, a counsellor at India's UN Mission, said on Thursday, "India chooses this time not to respond to Pakistan's mischievous provocations. Our advice to the delegate of Pakistan is to refer to our numerous rights of reply that we have exercised in the past.
"Pakistan has only to look at itself and its own track record as a state that harbours and provides safe havens to terrorists and does so with impunity." Further, he also added, "Such uncalled for provocation is particularly regrettable and certainly misplaced at a time when after two days of intense discussions, we have all agreed that the path of peace can be the only path forward to resolve conflict and discord".
Mathur exercised India's Right of Reply after Pakistan's envoy at the UN Munir Akram referred to Jammu and Kashmir while delivering the explanation of vote on the UN General Assembly resolution on Ukraine during the Emergency Special Session.
India has repeatedly stressed in responses that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and any disputes between New Delhi and Islamabad are bilateral matters under the 1972 Simla Agreement between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was then the president.