By Our Correspondent 

NEW YORK -  Pakistan has strongly rejected India’s claims over Jammu and Kashmir, telling the United Nations Security Council that the disputed region has never been, and will never be, a part of India, during a right of reply at an open debate on the rule of law.

 

Speaking on Monday, Pakistan’s First Secretary Zulfiqar Ali said his delegation was responding to what he described as spurious remarks made by the Indian representative. He said India routinely levels allegations against Pakistan to deflect attention from its “illegal occupation” of Jammu and Kashmir, which he stressed remains a disputed territory under UN Security Council resolutions.

 

Ali recalled that India itself brought the Kashmir issue to the United Nations and made formal commitments, including a pledge to hold a UN-supervised plebiscite to allow Kashmiris to determine their future. He said India’s refusal to honour those commitments amounts to a violation of international law and an abuse of the Security Council’s authority.

 

The Pakistani diplomat also accused India of engaging in destabilizing activities in the region, including what he termed “water terrorism” through the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. He further criticized India’s domestic record, alleging state-sanctioned discrimination and violence against religious minorities.

 

Ali urged India to abandon what he called belligerent policies, implement relevant UN resolutions on Kashmir, end human rights violations in the region, and pursue dialogue and diplomacy to promote peace and stability in South Asia.