By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ANKARA (AA) – India's response to a statement by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) president during his visit to Pakistan last week is "regrettable," his office said on Tuesday.
"President [Volkan Bozkir] was saddened to see a press statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, which portrays his remarks on Jammu and Kashmir from a selective perspective, while they are consistent with the longstanding UN position regarding this issue.
"It is regrettable that the President's remarks were taken out of context," Amy Quantrill, deputy spokeswoman for UNGA president, said in a statement.
During his trip to Pakistan last week, Bozkir had urged Islamabad to raise the issue of Kashmir at the UN "more strongly" and said a special session could be held on the issue if enough countries petitioned for it.
A day later, India's Ministry of External Affairs expressed "strong opposition to the unwarranted references" made by the UNGA head regarding Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
Bozkir also urged India and Pakistan to "refrain" from taking steps that would alter the status of the disputed territory of Kashmir.
"I must also reiterate that the United Nations' position on Jammu and Kashmir is governed by the United Nations charter and applicable Security Council resolutions," he added.
Quantrill reiterated the president's position was "consistent with previous UN positions, as expressed in Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter."
"The president continues to support dialogue and diplomacy and encourage both Pakistan and India to resolve this dispute through peaceful means," she said.
Jammu and Kashmir is on the UN agenda since 1948, with several resolutions by UNGA and UN Security Council calling for giving people of the disputed territory the right to self-determination to determine their political future.
In 2019, India ended minimal autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir under Articles 370 and 35A of its Constitution after putting the region of around 12 million people under military siege and cutting communications with the outer world.
