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India, Pak trapped in war of words over Kashmir at UN - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan engaged in an ugly war of words at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Monday, underscoring how the two countries remain trapped in their rhetoric on Jammu & Kashmir.
It all started when foreign minister S M Krishna added an extra paragraph to his UN speech during the general debate on Monday, joining issue with Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari's contention that Jammu & Kashmir was a sign of UN "failure". In his address to the UNGA last week, Zardari, flogged old UN resolutions to dispute India's claim over J&K, something akin to waving a red rag at India.
On Monday, Krishna termed Zardari's reference to UN resolutions on Kashmir as "unwarranted", asserting that J&K was an "integral part of India". Pakistan, determined not to let this go without a retort, gave a rejoinder, also known as a "right-of-reply" (ROR) in diplomatic parlance. A bristling India came up with its own rejoinder. Not to be outdone, Pakistan refused to let the UN close for the day without registering its second ROR. The battle boiled down to one thing: India saying "Kashmir is ours" and Pakistan retorting, "It's not".
The high-voltage exchange between India and Pakistan at UNGA was in sharp contrast to the reconciliatory tone of foreign minister S M Krishna's visit to Islamabad last month. Then, he had expressed satisfaction with Pakistan and its actions.
Then, the sides had said, "The ministers held discussions on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and agreed to the need for continued discussions, in a purposeful and forward looking manner, with a view to finding a peaceful solution by narrowing divergences and building convergences."
That bonhomie, however, was thrown to the winds at the UNGA.
After Krishna's speech on Monday taking exception to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's reference to J&K, the Pakistan mission sent in an ROR (right of reply) by deputy ambassador Raza Bashir Tarar, who said, "The reference to the Jammu & Kashmir dispute in the President of Pakistan's statement was not unwarranted. Let me also make it absolutely clear that Jammu & Kashmir is neither an integral part of India and nor has it ever been."
Vinay Kumar of the Indian mission responded, "...Jammu & Kashmir, which is and has always been an integral part of India. It is ironical that these comments have been made by a country which is persisting with its illegal occupation of a part of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. These references constitute a clear interference in the internal affairs of India."
The Pakistanis responded again to Kumar's assertion. "Mr. President, the disputed status of Jammu & Kashmir is established by UN Security Council resolutions and agreed upon by both Pakistan and India. Characterization of Jammu & Kashmir or any part of its territory as part of India is, therefore, untenable. The people of Jammu & Kashmir have yet to exercise their inalienable right of self-determination."
Indians, however, were determined to get in the last word. "The people of Jammu & Kashmir have peacefully chosen their destiny in accordance with democratic practices and they continue to do so. We, therefore, reject in their entirety the untenable comments from the distinguished delegate of Pakistan," said India as a weary UN closed for the night.
!everytime there has been some development in the bi-lateral dialogues between India and pakistan,some high bureaucrats in the paki establishment start to raise the Kashmir issue in international forums in order to garner sympathy and in this they have derailed nearly all the bi-lateral dialogues in the past and presently they are doing the same thing once again
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