UNITED NATIONS, March 25: India has strongly urged Pakistan to vacate the territory it occupies in Jammu and Kashmir and cease its support for terrorism, following Pakistan’s repeated attempts to raise the Kashmir issue at the United Nations.
P. Harish, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, made the statement on Monday, asserting that Pakistan’s references to the issue neither validate its claims nor justify its state-sponsored terrorism.
Harish reiterated that Pakistan continues to illegally occupy parts of Jammu and Kashmir and must adhere to the 1948 Security Council Resolution 47, which demands that Pakistan withdraw its forces and infiltrators from the region. He emphasized, “Jammu and Kashmir was, is, and will always be an integral part of India,” and urged Pakistan to refrain from using international platforms to push its divisive agenda.
This comes after Syed Tariq Fatemi, Pakistan’s junior foreign affairs minister, addressed the Security Council, urging it to enforce the 1948 resolution that calls for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the resolution also stipulates that Pakistan must first withdraw non-resident tribesmen and Pakistani nationals who entered the region to fight. Additionally, Pakistan was required to halt support for militants and prevent further incursions. India maintains that a plebiscite is no longer necessary, as the people of Kashmir have shown their allegiance to India through democratic elections and the election of their own leaders.
Fatemi also brought up the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), a body established in 1949 to monitor the ceasefire along the Line of Control. However, India views UNMOGIP as an outdated institution, rendered irrelevant by the 1972 Shimla Agreement. This agreement declared the Kashmir issue a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan, leaving no room for third-party intervention. In line with this, India expelled UNMOGIP from its government-provided offices in New Delhi.
