India warns China to halt meddling in J&K

■ Move instigated by Pak, no support at UN: MEA

Hours after China raised the Kashmir issue at the 15-member UN Security Council at the behest of its all-weather friend Pakistan, India on Thursday said it rejected China’s interference in India’s internal affairs, adding that China’s attempt once again “met with little support from the international community”. New Delhi also “urged” Beijing “to draw the proper conclusions from such infructuous attempts”. This is the second time in two days India criticised China for its comments and actions on the Kashmir issue.

Making no secret of the close collaboration between China and Pakistan, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted Wednesday night that this was the third time in the past year that it was raised at the UN, thanking China “especially”, saying Pakistan “welcomed” the meet.

The Chinese move in collaboration with Pakistan was obviously planned at the UN on the first anniversary of India’s revoking Article 370, that granted special status to the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state. China first began raising the Kashmir issue last year at the UNSC for informal deliberations soon after India revoked Article 370.

On Thursday, the external affairs ministry said: “We have noted China initiated a discussion in the UN Security Council on issues pertaining to the Union territory of J&K. This was not the first time China has sought to raise a subject that is solely an internal matter of India. As on such occasions, this attempt too met with little support from the international community. We firmly reject China’s interference in our internal affairs and urge it to draw proper conclusions from such infructuous attempts.”

India had on Wednesday too snubbed China, asking it to refrain from interference in India’s internal affairs, hours after Beijing termed the revoking of Article 370 a year ago by New Delhi as “illegal and invalid”. India added that China had no locus standi on the issue.