India at UN: Kashmir Integral Part, Pakistan Using Cross-Border Terrorism as State Policy
India on Wednesday reiterated its firm stance on Kashmir and accused Pakistan of using cross-border terrorism as a tool of state policy during a high-level debate at the United Nations Security Council. The remarks were made by India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, at a meeting focused on natural resources governance and its role in peace and security.
Responding to comments by Pakistan's representative, Ambassador Harish stated that his delegation was compelled to address what he called a "false narrative" being peddled by Islamabad. He asserted that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir "has always been, is, and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India," describing this as a constitutional and legal reality that Pakistan deliberately ignores.
Furthermore, Ambassador Harish accused Pakistan of engaging in "naked aggression and illegal occupation" of Indian sovereign territory in Jammu and Kashmir. He also linked the Indus Water Treaty to the issue of cross-border terrorism, saying that cooperation based on mutual trust cannot be expected when terrorism is regularly deployed as an instrument of state policy by Pakistan.
In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Harish urged Pakistan to address its own internal problems rather than pointing fingers at India. "Instead of pointing fingers at India, Pakistan would serve itself and its people far better by putting its own house in order," he said.
The debate, titled 'Natural Resources Governance: the Foundation of Peace, Security and Prosperity,' was intended to address the role of natural resources in conflict and cooperation. India's statement came as a rebuttal to earlier remarks by Pakistan that linked the Kashmir issue to water sharing under the Indus Water Treaty.
It is important to note that this report presents India's official position as stated at the UN. Pakistan's perspective and any responses to India's allegations are not covered in this article. The issue of Kashmir remains a long-standing dispute between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, with both countries claiming the region in full.
