India slammed Pakistan at the UN, saying the country continues to illegally occupy the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which it must vacate.

These remarks were made on Monday by India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish during remarks at a UN Security Council Open Debate on Advancing Adaptability in UN Peace operations.

“Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always be an integral part of India. Pakistan continues to illegally occupy the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which it must vacate,” Harish said.

Harish’s strong retort came after Pakistan raked the issue of Jammu and Kashmir during the UNSC open debate.

Harish said that India is compelled to note that the delegate of Pakistan has yet again resorted to “unwarranted remarks” on the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Such repeated references neither validate their illegal claims nor justify their state-sponsored cross-border terrorism,” Harish said adding that “we would advise Pakistan not to try to divert the attention of this forum to drive their parochial and divisive agenda.” He asserted that India will refrain from exercising a more elaborate Right of Reply.

Relations between India and Pakistan nosedived after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5, 2019, revoking Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories.

India has repeatedly said it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

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