After closed-door consultations of the Security Council on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistani Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi told reporters “the fact that this meeting took place is testimony to the fact that this is an international recognized dispute.”
“The voice of people of occupied Kashmir has been heard today in the highest diplomatic forum of the world. They are not alone. Their voices have been heard. Their plight, their hardship, their pain, their suffering, the occupation, and the consequences of that occupation, has been heard in the UN Security Council today,” Lodi said as quoted by Associate Press.
Indian Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said that during the meeting, “there were some who tried to project an alarmist approach to the situation, which is far from the ground realities.”
Of particular concern, he said, “is that one state is using terminology of Jihad against and promoting violence in India, including by their leaders,” according to report.
Akbaruddin said, “using terror to try and push your goal is not the way that normal states behave. No democracy will acknowledge or accept talks when terror thrives. Stop terror, to start talks.”
Talking to the reporters, China’s Ambassador Zhang Jun said it was “obvious that the constitutional amendment by India has changed the status quo in Kashmir, causing tension in the region.”
Zhang pointed out that “India’s action has also challenged China’s sovereign interests and violated bilateral agreement on maintaining stability in the border area.”
Meanwhile, Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for ‘maximum restraint’ over the territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, which has been disputed by India and Pakistan, since the end of British rule in the late 1940s, the report said.
· Pakistan Calls for UN Meeting amid Kashmir Lockdown
The meeting came after Pakistan called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, saying India’s decision to strip Kashmir of its autonomy threatens international peace and could lead to ethnic cleansing and genocide in the Muslim-majority region.
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