Special Correspondent
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has rejected remarks made by the Indian delegate on Jammu and Kashmir during the United Nations General Assembly, reiterating its long-standing position on the disputed territory.
Exercising the Right of Reply, Asif Khan, Minister at the Pakistan Mission, said he was responding to what he described as “untenable assertions” by India following Pakistan’s statement under the agenda item “Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization.”
“I am obliged to take the floor in response to the untenable assertions made by the delegate of India regarding the dispute over Jammu & Kashmir,” he stated, adding that the accusations were “a tired trope intended to obscure established facts and legal realities.”
Referring to the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Khan said it “clearly affirms that all peoples have the right to self-determination,” and asserted that “India continues to deny this right to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for decades, coupled with systematic suppression.”
He further rejected India’s claim that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, stating that “Jammu & Kashmir is not ‘an integral part’ of India, nor has it ever been so under international law.” He cited United Nations Security Council resolutions recognizing the region as disputed and calling for “a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under United Nations auspices.” He added that “this position is also reflected on official United Nations maps” and noted that India “remains bound to implement them under Article 25 of the UN Charter.”
Addressing developments since August 2019, Khan said that “since 5 August 2019, India has embarked on a course aimed at transforming the occupied territory from a Muslim-majority state into a Hindu-majority territory,” describing the measures as “a blatant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and international law.”
Concluding his statement, the Pakistani diplomat urged the Indian delegate “to familiarize himself with official United Nations maps and relevant Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir before making inaccurate statements in this forum.”
