Pakistan denounces Indian minister’s ‘strange’ speech at UN

NAFEES ZAKARIA SAYS STRANGE THAT INDIAN MINISTER IS DISOWNING UNSC RESOLUTIONS, MALEEHA LODHI CALLS SUSHMA SWARAJ’S SPEECH A ‘LITANY OF FALSEHOOD, BASELESS ALLEGATIONS’

Maleeha Lodhi calls Swaraj’s speech a ‘litany of falsehood, baseless allegations’

Pakistan on Monday rejected the speech delivered by Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the United Nations where she said Kashmir is an “integral part of India”.

“Strange that Indian minister is disowning the UN SC resolutions and that too at the UN,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office’s spokesman Nafees Zakaria wrote on Twitter.

“Can Indian External Affairs Minister explain that if Kashmir is an integral part of India, why is it on the agenda of Security Council?” he questioned. About mention of Balochistan in Swaraj’s speech, the spokesman said that the Indian minister’s reference to the Pakistani province was a violation of UN principles and international law.

“Reference to Balochistan is a continuous admission by India of its involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan,” he said.

“India (is) trying to divert world attention from its atrocities on defenceless Kashmiris in occupied Kashmir but her efforts will not succeed,” Zakaria added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi called the Indian minister’s speech a “litany of falsehoods and baseless allegations”, saying Kashmir was an internationally recognised dispute.

“In fact, it is the oldest item on the UN agenda,” she said.

“Another falsehood she uttered was that there are no human rights violations in Kashmir,” the Pakistani envoy noted. “The whole world knows the barbaric actions being taken by occupation forces that are a grave violation of human rights. These are amply documented.”

Ambassador Lodhi said by raising Balochistan, Ms. Swaraj had “blatantly” violated the principles the principles of the United Nations Charter and international norms, as it was an “internal matter” of Pakistan. The Pakistani envoy also said that India was using the Uri incident to blame Pakistan for the ongoing Kashmiri uprising and divert attention from its brutal occupation.

In her speech, Ms. Swaraj, claimed that India had not attached any pre-conditions for talks with Pakistan, saying, “We took the initiative to resolve issues not on the basis of conditions, but on the basis of friendship!” In response, Ambassador Lodhi said, “For the Indian external affairs minister to claim that her country has imposed no preconditions for talks with Pakistan is another flight from reality. India suspended talks more than a year ago, and has refused to resume these despite repeated offers from Pakistan; the latest one made by the Prime Minister of Pakistan himself from the rostrum of the General Assembly on 21 September.

“Her entire reference to Pakistan was a vain attempt to divert attention from the grave situation in occupied Kashmir,” she added.