New Delhi
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Volkan Bozkir’s recent visit to Islamabad has drawn backlash from across the border after the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) voiced objections to the former’s remarks on the Kashmir issue.
During his three-day visit, the UNGA chief — in a press conference alongside Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi — had said that it was Pakistan’s duty to bring the issue of Jammu and Kashmir to the UN platform with more vigour.
Bozkir had lamented what he said was a lack of large political will for the resolution of the Kashmir issue compared to the Palestinian issue which had more will behind it.
“I think it is the duty, especially Pakistan’s, to bring this [issue] to the UN platform more strongly,” Bozkir had said, adding that he agreed that the Palestinian issue and the Kashmir issue were of the same age.
Reacting to the press conference, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India had “expressed strong opposition” to Bozkir’s comments.
“His remarks that Pakistan is ‘duty bound’ to raise this issue in the UN more strongly are unacceptable.
Nor indeed is there any basis for comparison to other global situations,” the Indian spokesperson said.
“When an incumbent president of the UNGA makes misleading and prejudiced remarks, he does great disservice to the office he occupies.—Agencies
