Pakistan and India trade barbs after rare UN Kashmir talks

Pakistan accuses New Delhi of human rights abuses after Security Council meeting, India says Kashmir 'internal matter'.

Economy 11:15 17.08.2019
United Nations - Envoys from nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan have traded barbs outside the United Nations Security Council chamber, after members met behind closed doors for rare talks on the disputed region of Kashmir.
 
The meeting on Friday came as Indian-administered Kashmir remained under a military lockdown for a 12th straight day following the highly controversial decision by the Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi to revoke the special status accorded to the Muslim-majority state in India's constitution.
 
Council members met for 90 minutes amid heightened tensions in the contested Himalayan region, which has long been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan - the two countries, which both claim Kashmir in full but rule it in part, have fought two of their three wars over the disputed territory. India is also fighting a three-decade rebellion in Jammu and Kashmir that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
 
Pakistan requested the Security Council meeting in a letter on August 13 and it was subsequently called for by permanent member China.
 
The 15-nation body heard briefings from Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, the UN's assistant secretary-general for peacebuilding support, and Carlos Humberto Loitey, the UN military adviser for peacekeeping operations.
 
Following the session, Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's ambassador to the UN, said the council's first meeting on Kashmir in more than 50 years was only a "first step" that Islamabad would take in support of the people of Kashmir.
 
"This meeting nullifies India's claim that Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter for India. Today, the whole world is discussing the occupied state and the situation there," she told reporters.
 
"The people of Jammu and Kashmir may be locked up, their voices may not be heard in their own homes and their own land, but their voices were heard today at the United Nations and their voices will always be heard because Pakistan will always stand by them."
 
Minutes later, Syed Akbaruddin, India's UN ambassador, told journalists that Kashmir was an "internal matter" for India and that it was "gradually removing all restrictions" that were recently placed on the region as it "moves towards normalcy".
 
"Of particular concern is that one state is using terminology of jihad against and promoting violence in India, including by the leaders," Akbaruddin said, without identifying the country by name.
 
"We are saddened that terrorism is being fuelled, language and incendiary talk of jihad is being mentioned by people who should know better."
 
 
Indian-administered Kashmir remains under lockdown (2:08)
 
SC 'seriously concerned'
 
For his part, Zhang Jun, China's UN ambassador, told reporters that council members had been "seriously concerned" by the Kashmir crisis and that neither India nor Pakistan should provoke a situation that was "already very tense and very dangerous".
 
Those countries should "discard the zero-sum game mentality" to the region, he added.
 
Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's envoy to the UN, said Moscow was concerned by the crisis but added that it was a "bilateral issue" best tackled directly between New Delhi and Islamabad.
 
Dynamics in the council chamber were understood to be guided by long-standing relationships. The United States is a traditional backer of India and China of Pakistan, while many council members have close relations with both countries.
 
Kumi Naidoo, secretary-general of the human rights group Amnesty International, said in a statement that Security Council members needed to safeguard the human rights of the people of Kashmir.
 
"The actions of the Indian government have thrown ordinary people's lives into turmoil, subjecting them to unnecessary pain and distress on top of the years of human rights violations they have already endured," Naidoo said on Friday.
 
"The people of Jammu and Kashmir should not be treated as pawns in a political crisis, and the international community must come together to call for their human rights to be respected."
 
 
 
Imran Khan on Kashmir: Modi's ideology compared to Nazis (3:15)
 
Tensions remain high in Kashmir
 
As the council met, tensions remained high in the disputed Kashmir region.
 
Earlier on Friday, Pakistan's army reported more exchanges of fire across the heavily militarised Line of Control dividing Pakistan- and Indian-administered Kashmir. It said one Pakistani soldier was killed, bringing the death toll to six in under than 24 hours.
 
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Pakistan and India to refrain from any steps that could destabilise Indian-administered Kashmir, while also expressing worrying by the reports of restrictions there.
 
On August 5, India's Hindu nationalist government revoked Article 370 of the Constitution and ended the decades-old autonomy Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed, including powers to pass laws on all matters except defence, communications and foreign affairs.
 
Before the move, New Delhi sent thousands of extra troops to the disputed region, imposed a curfew, banned public assembly, shut down phone lines and internet and arrested political leaders.
 
 
 
AlJAZEERA 
IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

EU to introduce toughest sanctions against Russia — France’s FM
12:45 08.07.2025
US-Iran talks may take place next week
12:30 08.07.2025
Pentagon confirms US plans to send additional 'defensive weapons' to Kiev
12:15 08.07.2025
Trump sets 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea
12:00 08.07.2025
Israeli army says 5 soldiers killed, 14 injured in northern Gaza
11:45 08.07.2025
Brazil’s president sounds alarm over multilateralism crisis, condemns Gaza genocide at BRICS summit
11:30 08.07.2025
Protest Held in London Backing Pro-Palestine March Organizers Accused of Offences
11:15 08.07.2025
Japan to make diplomatic efforts to ensure implementation of Israel-Iran ceasefire: Top diplomat
11:00 08.07.2025
Trump Holds Talks with Netanyahu at the White House
10:45 08.07.2025
Trump says US has 'scheduled Iran talks'
10:30 08.07.2025
Trump says US will supply weapons to Ukraine
10:15 08.07.2025
Priorities of Azerbaijan's international development policy discussed
10:00 08.07.2025
US to impose 25% duties on imports from Kazakhstan from August
09:45 08.07.2025
Plans for border delimitation, demarcation with Armenia discussed in Baku
09:30 08.07.2025
Israel wants to coordinate with US on possibility of new strikes on Iran
09:15 08.07.2025
Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
09:00 08.07.2025
Geno rejects signing of 38-year-old Jamie Vardy
21:00 07.07.2025
Gaza death toll passes 57,500 as Israeli attacks continue unabated
20:45 07.07.2025
Russian emergencies minister arrives in Baku
20:25 07.07.2025
Trump due to meet Netanyahu at White House
20:15 07.07.2025
Russia attacks recruitment centers in Ukraine's Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia
20:00 07.07.2025
Pezeshkian says Israel attempted assassination against him
19:45 07.07.2025
Iran has military capability to strike Israel daily for 2 years, IRGC adviser says
19:20 07.07.2025
US envoy says ‘satisfied’ with Lebanese response on roadmap to disarm Hezbollah
19:00 07.07.2025
Peskov: Russia, Azerbaijan should remain close partners, allies
18:45 07.07.2025
The Gulf Observer: Armenians' destruction of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage - vandalism against all humanity
18:30 07.07.2025
Official: Nearly 1M foreigners arrived in Azerbaijan in 5 months of 2025
18:15 07.07.2025
Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijan Army visits Saudi Arabia
18:00 07.07.2025
Israeli PM approved Yemen airstrikes during his flight to US
17:45 07.07.2025
Expert: ECO Summit in Khankendi confirmed member countries' desire for inclusive, multipolar world
17:30 07.07.2025
AZAL introduces new online service
17:15 07.07.2025
Poland imposes checks on German and Lithuanian borders amid migration fears
17:00 07.07.2025
Saudi Arabia raises August oil prices for Asia, Europe buyers
16:45 07.07.2025
EU Reporter: Karabakh region became platform for int'l forums
16:15 07.07.2025
Georgian PM says direct foreign interference in democratic elections failed
16:00 07.07.2025
Typhoon Danas kills two in Taiwan, injures over 500
15:45 07.07.2025
'Coalition of the Willing' may fall apart over Starmer-Macron conflict
15:30 07.07.2025
Former Adjara head hospitalized with gunshot wound in Georgia
15:15 07.07.2025
Scientists reveal how caffeine slows down aging
15:00 07.07.2025
Thailand to offer US more trade concessions to avert 36% tariff
14:45 07.07.2025
Hamısı