Daijiworld Media Network - United Nations
United Nations, Jun 6: India strongly criticised Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday over what it described as "unwarranted references" to Jammu and Kashmir, accusing Islamabad of misusing international forums to advance its political agenda and spread misleading narratives.
India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, raised the objection while addressing the UNGA plenary meeting on the Annual Report of the UN Security Council.
“The unwarranted reference by Pakistan to a matter strictly internal to India, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, has compelled me to respond,” Harish said.
The response came after Asim Iftikhar Ahmad referred to the Kashmir issue during discussions on the Security Council's annual report and reiterated Pakistan's position that the matter should be resolved in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
Harish accused Pakistan of repeatedly misusing UN platforms for its political interests.
“Pakistan has decided not to spare this forum either from their characteristic misuse of august UN platforms for their divisive political interests. I'd like to remind Pakistan that being a member of the UN Security Council is a huge responsibility. It's not a forum for peddling biased and false narratives,” he said.
The Indian envoy further alleged that Pakistan had continued to circulate misinformation while serving on the Security Council.
Reaffirming India's position on the region, Harish said there was no ambiguity regarding the status of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Jammu and Kashmir was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. Any assertions to the contrary are baseless, devoid of and inconsistent with historical facts,” he said.
He added that Pakistan's statements would not alter the reality on the ground.
“Empty rhetoric and hollow claims by Pakistan would not change this fundamental reality,” he said.
During his address, Harish also reiterated India's long-standing demand for reforms in the UN Security Council, arguing that its current structure does not adequately reflect contemporary global realities.
He called for expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership to make the Council more representative, effective and accountable.
“Retaining the status quo has so far not enabled effective functioning of the Security Council and cannot do so in future,” he said.
Harish also advocated for the earlier release of the Security Council's annual report to improve transparency and efficiency.
At the conclusion of his remarks, the Indian representative congratulated Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe on their election to the UN Security Council for the 2027–28 term.