In a swift response to Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar’s mention of Jammu and Kashmir during his address to the UN General Assembly, India has strongly rebuked Pakistan, categorizing it as a perpetuator of “baseless and malicious propaganda.”
India’s Retort
Petal Gahlot, India’s First Secretary to the United Nations Second Committee on Foreign Affairs (UNGA), delivered a firm response, stating, “Pakistan has become a habitual offender when it comes to misusing this August forum to peddle baseless and malicious propaganda against India.” She went on to emphasize, “Member states of the United Nations and other multilateral organizations are well aware that Pakistan does so to deflect the international community’s attention away from its own abysmal record on human rights. We reiterate that the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir are an integral part of India. Matters pertaining to the UTs of J&K and Ladakh are purely internal to India. Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on our domestic matters.”
Pakistan’s Persistent Attempt
Over time, Pakistan has made repeated efforts to internationalize the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at various global forums, including the United Nations. India has consistently called out Pakistan for providing safe haven to terrorist elements on its soil.
India’s Stand on Terrorism
“Pakistan obviously is the exception when it comes to the neighborhood. The fact is we can’t allow terrorism to be normalized. We cannot allow that to become a basis to come into discussion with Pakistan,” stated External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in June this year.
Escalation of Tensions
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated significantly following the Pulwama terror attack on February 14, 2019, which claimed the lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. India responded to the attack with airstrikes in Balakot, located in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
Six months later that year, India abrogated Article 370, thereby revoking the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Following the abrogation of Article 370, the former state was bifurcated into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Author’s Note
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