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The recent UN General Assembly session saw a tense exchange between India and Pakistan over the long-standing issue of Kashmir. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his address, accused India of militaristic expansion and human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, calling for the reversal of the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, which had granted the region special status. He also demanded a resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the 'wishes of the Kashmiri people.'
India, exercising its right of reply, responded through Bhavika Mangalanandan, First Secretary of India’s Permanent Mission to the UN. Mangalanandan strongly criticized Pakistan's accusations, highlighting its history of employing cross-border terrorism against its neighbors and pointing to instances like the attacks on the Indian Parliament and Mumbai. She labeled Pakistan's stance on violence as 'hypocrisy at its worst', particularly given its own record of rigged elections and its stated desire for Indian territory. She asserted that Pakistan's claims of supporting the 'wishes of the Kashmiri people' were disingenuous, arguing that Pakistan has consistently used terrorism to disrupt elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
This exchange highlights the deep-seated animosity and mistrust between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue. The two countries have been engaged in a decades-long territorial dispute over the region, with Pakistan routinely raising the Kashmir issue at international platforms like the UN. India, on the other hand, maintains that Kashmir is an integral part of India and accuses Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism in the region. The current exchange reinforces the entrenched positions of both countries and underscores the challenges of finding a peaceful resolution to this long-standing conflict. While both sides have called for dialogue, the lack of trust and the continuous accusations make finding common ground a difficult task.
The Kashmir issue continues to be a major point of friction between India and Pakistan. The recent UN exchange underscores the complexities of this issue and the deep-seated mistrust between the two nations. It remains to be seen how both countries will move forward from this latest round of accusations and whether genuine dialogue can be initiated to find a lasting solution.