Kashmir issue raised at UNGA
Raising the issue of Kashmir at the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Pakistan said the achievement of durable peace between India and Pakistan is being impacted by the “unresolved dispute". It remains a "blot on the conscience of humanity," it added.
"We seek resolution of disputes through a serious and comprehensive dialogue that covers all issues of concern," said Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Addressing the General Debate of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, Qureshi said Islamabad wanted a relationship with New Delhi based on "sovereign equality and mutual respect".
Pakistan was to talk about all issues with India, but New Delhi called off the dialogue, preferring "politics over peace," he said on the cancellation of foreign minister-level talks on the margins of the General Assembly.
"They used the pretext of stamps issued months ago...and depicting grave human rights violations, including pellet gun victims, as an excuse to back out from the talks," he said.
The meet between both the nations was called off by India in view of the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir, along with the incident of postage stamps "glorifying" Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani being released by Islamabad.
"Dialogue is the only way to address long standing issues that have long bedeviled South Asia and prevented the region from realising its true potential," he said.
The "unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute hinders the realisation of the goal of durable peace" between the two countries, he added.
"For over seventy years now, it has remained on the agenda of the UN Security Council and a blot on the conscience of humanity," Qureshi said.
Pakistan's foreign minister further described Pakistan as a victim of terrorism and said his country is willing to sit with India to discuss all issues, including terrorism.
He also claimed Pakistan is ready to engage into meaningful confidence building, risk reduction and avoidance of arms race in the South Asian region with India.
India “will evoke a strong and matching response” if it ventures across the Line of Control, or acts upon its doctrine of "limited" war against Pakistan, Qureshi said.
