FO welcomes UN's reiteration of its stance on Kashmir

The Foreign Office on Saturday said the country welcomes the reiteration of the United Nations' position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute by the spokesperson of the United Nations Secretary-General.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said the statement reaffirms that the UN position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is “well-established” and has not changed.

The spokesperson said Pakistan particularly appreciates the timeliness of the statement as it coincides with the completion of two years of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019 in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The unilateral actions were in violation of the UN charter, UNSC resolutions, and international law including the Fourth Geneva Convention, the spokesperson noted.

"The statement denies the self-serving remarks by India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations claiming that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India," he said.

India would do well to remind itself that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognised dispute and one of the longest outstanding items on the UN Security Council’s agenda, he said.

"It never was and never will be a part of India. Regurgitation of false and fabricated claims does not change the reality," the spokesperson said.

Numerous UNSC resolutions have established that the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite held under the UN auspices, he said.

"Ultimately, India will have to give in to the will of the Kashmiris and the commitment of international community as enshrined in numerous UNSC Resolutions," the spokesperson added.

The response came after Spokesman Stephane Dujarric had said earlier this week that the United Nations' position on Jammu and Kashmir remains the same.

"Our position on Kashmir is well established and has not changed," he said responding to a journalist at his regular noon briefing in New York.

When asked to repeat the UN's position on the Kashmir dispute, Dujarric said: "You will find it in relevant resolutions. I'm not going to repeat it, but our position is unchanged."