Indo-Pak face off over Kashmir at the UN

Agencies

New York, 29 September 2010: Starting with another face off between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi - this time inside the United Nations General Assembly when Qureshi raked up the Kashmir issue, questioning the fairness of holding elections in the state.

 

Krishna retaliated to Qureshi’s comments by calling Qureshi’s remarks a diversionary tactic by Pakistan to draw attention away from its own internal security issues.

 

The war of words will not be carried forward at least for the present as Krishna ended the suspense by ruling out a meeting with Qureshi on the sidelines of the UN. However, Krishna said that the dialogue between the two countries would continue when Qureshi visits India.

 

 

The UN meet was their third interaction since the controversial joint press conference held earlier in July, during which Qureshi accused Krishna of being ‘remote-controlled’ from New Delhi.

 

“The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is about the exercise of the right to self-determination by the Kashmiri people through a free, fair and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices. Their voices must be heard,” said Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

 

“It is with a sense of genuine disappointment that I react to the unacceptable references to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir made by (Pakistan) Foreign Minister Qureshi in his address at the UN earlier today (Tuesday),” said Krishna reacting to Qureshi’s views.