New York: Ahead of the UN General Assembly session in New York which began Monday, India and Pakistan struck implacable, opposing poses. While India, expecting Pakistan to rake up the Kashmir issue, upped the hostile rhetoric by calling it a “one-trick pony”, Pakistan, which had last week made the first move to restart bilateral talks stalled since 2015, stuck a more diplomatic stance by saying that it will not close its doors to talks.
Talking to reporters here, India’s permanent representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin told reporters, “If somebody else would like to be a one-trick pony, it is for them to regurgitate and act. We have handled this act many times in the past and are confident that we will do so again.”
He added that “single act plays” have no resonance on multi-lateral platforms like the United Nations.
Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, addressing a news conference at the Pakistan embassy in Washington on Sunday said India’s reluctance to hold talks with Pakistan will not stop Islamabad from closing doors on its efforts to promote peace in the region.
Mr Qureshi said India used incidents that happened in July to cancel peace talks that it agreed to in September. “India is reluctant, we will not close our doors. “Hiding away from issues will not make them disappear. It will not improve the situation in Kashmir,” he was quoted as saying.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Mr Qureshi are to speak on Saturday as part of the UN General Assembly debate. Ms Swaraj will address the 73rd UN General Assembly before Mr Qureshi and is likely mention calling off talks with Pakistan after the kidnapping and killing of three policemen.
India could also respond to the UN report that slammed India on the human rights situation in Kashmir. The UN report had said “human rights violations and abuses on both sides of the LoC” had taken place.
Last year, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had spoken before Ms Swaraj as heads of states speak before ministers. This year, India will address the UNGA before Pakistan, but just a few hours apart. So Pakistan’s address to the UNGA will in some part likely be a response to what India says.
In 2017, it took Pakistan’s PM all of three minutes to first mention Jammu & Kashmir in his address. In her response, Ms Swaraj attacked Pakistan saying, “We set up IITs, IIMs. Pak created Lashkar, Jaish-e-Mohammed”.
About 95 heads of state, four vice presidents, 42 heads of governments, three deputy prime ministers and 48 ministers will be present at the UNGA.
Pakistan has consistently used the UNGA to rake up the Kashmir issue, seeking to internationalise it, but has found no resonance with the international community.
