In a strong diplomatic exchange at the United Nations, Pakistan has categorically rejected India’s claims over Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the disputed territory “never was, neither is, and nor will ever be an integral part of India.” The remarks came during the UN General Assembly debate on the annual report of the Security Council, where Pakistan exercised its right of reply to India’s assertion that Kashmir is an integral part of the country.
Gul Qaiser Sarwani, Political Coordinator at the Pakistan Mission to the UN, reminded the 193-member assembly that Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) remains an internationally recognized dispute on the agenda of the UN Security Council. “No amount of obfuscation can alter the historical, legal and international character of this dispute,” Sarwani said, firmly rejecting New Delhi’s claims.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, highlighted that the Security Council’s annual report underscores the continued relevance of both the Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine disputes. He noted that more than 20 communications concerning the India-Pakistan question were brought before the Council during the reporting period from January to December 2025, and that closed consultations were held in May 2025. This demonstrates that the Kashmir dispute continues to engage the Council’s attention more than seven decades after it was first placed on its agenda.
Ambassador Asim stressed that durable peace in South Asia requires a just settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. “The Kashmiri people must be allowed to exercise their right to self-determination,” he said, linking regional stability to the resolution of the conflict.
The Pakistani envoy also addressed the Question of Palestine, calling for the full implementation of Security Council resolution 2803, which endorsed the Gaza Peace Plan. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and an independent state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The diplomatic clash at the UN underscores the deep-seated tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors over Kashmir, a region that has been a flashpoint since their independence from Britain in 1947. The UN has called for a plebiscite to determine the region’s future, but that vote has never been held.
Source: Geo News