Pakistan has raised the Kashmir issue at a UN committee saying the "decolonisation agenda" of the world body would be incomplete without resolution of the problem, drawing a strong reaction from India which asserted that the state is its integral part.
Speaking at a special committee of the General Assembly that addresses the issue of decolonisation, Amjad Hussain B
Sial, Pakistan's deputy permanent representative to the UN, asked the international community to support the Kashmiri
people's "right to self-determination".
"The decolonisation agenda of the United Nations would be incomplete without resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue," he said.
"Negation of the right to self-determination breeds discontent, ignites conflicts and threatens peace and security. Unfortunately, South Asia and Middle East have witnessed it directly," Sial said.
Countering the claims made by Sial, senior Indian diplomat Anupam Ray, exercising his 'right to reply', said that Kashmir is an integral part of India.
"Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and participates in the democratic process of India," Ray said.
The Indian side maintained that Kashmir remained a bilateral issue."It has always been a bilateral issue and should not be addressed in multilateral fora," Ray noted.
The Indian side maintained that Kashmir remained a bilateral issue."It has always been a bilateral issue and should not be addressed in multilateral fora," Ray noted.