New York: The UN General Assembly has dismissed the India’s reaction over UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir’s remarks on Kashmir wherein he had said that “Pakistan’s duty to bring the issue of Jammu and Kashmir more strongly to the UN” saying that his remarks were consistent with the longstanding UN position regarding the Kashmir issue.
In a press briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York the other day, Deputy Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly Amy Quantrill said that during his visit to Pakistan, Bozkir had said that peace, stability, and prosperity in the South Asian region hinges on normalisation of relations between Pakistan and India and that this normalisation is in turn subject to the two countries finding a resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue.
Bozkir had visited Bangladesh and Pakistan late last month and at a press conference in Islamabad with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said it was “Pakistan’s duty to bring the issue of the Jammu and Kashmir more strongly to the UN.”
In a reaction, Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said Bozkir’s remarks are unacceptable and his reference to Jammu and Kashmir is unwarranted.
Amy Quantrill said during his joint press engagement with the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, the “President had also recalled India and Pakistan’s Simla Agreement of 1972, which states that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means, in accordance with the UN Charter.
Against this background, the President was saddened to see a press statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, which portrays his remarks on Jammu and Kashmir from a selective perspective, while they are consistent with the longstanding UN position regarding this issue.
It is regrettable that the President’s remarks were taken out of context, Quantrill said. “The President continues to support dialogue and diplomacy and encourage both Pakistan and India to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue through peaceful means, she said. Bozkir had visited Pakistan on May 26-27 at the invitation of Qureshi. APP
