India has strongly rejected Pakistan’s call for plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the state is an integral part of the country. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who attended the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament at the United Nations in New York yesterday, condemned Pakistan’s move to raise the issue of Kashmir on a platform focused on global development agenda.
Her comments came a day after Pakistan National Assembly’s Acting Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi in his speech to the Conference said that it is time to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their right to self-determination.
Ms Mahajan said the remarks are totally irrelevant and Islamabad must concentrate on development. She said Pakistan should keep in mind that elections take place in Jammu and Kashmir and its people participate in a democratic process to elect their state government. She also said Pakistan is trying to make an issue out of a non-issue by bringing up Kashmir at every platform of the UN.