Pakistan tells India: UN 'most appropriate' body to raise Kashmir dispute

A Pakistani diplomat Saturday underscored the importance of United Nations for resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Pakistan not to raise the issue at the world body. "The United Nations is the most appropriate forum to raise the issue of Jammu and Kashmir," Diyar Khan, a counsellor at the Pakistan Mission to the UN, told the General Assembly.
Exercising his right to reply, the Pakistani diplomat referred to Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif's speech to the 193-member Assembly on Friday in which he made it clear that the right to self-determination has to be exercised by the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
About Modi's assertion that his government is seeking bilateral talks with Pakistan but can't engage in talks under "a shadow of terrorism," Diyar Khan said Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and emphasises pursuit of dialogue and diplomacy for peacefully resolving issues and disputes. "We believe that dialogue should not be stalked by human rights violations; or by any kind of terrorism."
As regards PM Modi's reference to AJK, he set the record straight, saying that the correct and historic name of this territory is "Azad Jammu and Kashmir".
Reacting to Pakistani delegate's statement, Indian delegate Abhishek Singh, rejected the remarks made by the Pakistani diplomat, and noted that they were willing to engage in dialogue "without the shadow of terror and fear". Raising issues in the forum would only derail future efforts of reaching a peaceful settlement, he said.
Taking the floor for a second time, Diyar Khan reminded the Indian delegate that it was not Pakistan which stalked the dialogue process. "It was India which cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan scheduled for August this year."
With regard to Kashmir, he said no matter what the Indian delegate says, the issue of Jammu and Kashmir has to be resolved in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. With regard to terrorism, Diyar Khan said Pakistan itself is the biggest victim of terrorism and it is a common threat and we must all work together to eliminate it, he added.