India today rejected the statement made by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the UN General Assembly yesterday. Exercising its right to reply in UN, India accused Pakistan of breeding and sponsoring terrorists. The reply lodged with the UN noted that the talks with Pakistan have not progressed as it has disregarded its commitments of Shimla Agreement as also the recently concluded Ufa agreement.
It reiterated that India remains open to engage with Pakistan on outstanding issues in an atmosphere free of terrorism and violence. On the issue of firing on border, the reply noted that the firing is actually used by Pakistan to provide cover to terrorists to cross border.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday raked up the Kashmir issue at the United Nations and termed its non-resolution as a failure of the world body.He proposed a 4-point “peace initiative” with India which includes demilitarisation of Kashmir.
Sharif also proposed “unconditional and mutual withdrawal” of forces from Siachen, restraint by both countries from “use or the threat of use of force under any circumstances” and formalisation of the 2003 border ceasefire as part of the formula to ensure peaceful ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Addressing the 193-member UN General Assembly, Sharif equated Kashmir with Palestine while talking about “suffering of Muslims across the world”, saying “Palestinians and Kashmiris are oppressed by foreign occupation.”
Sharif also talked about terrorism and claimed that his government would fight it “in all its forms and manifestations irrespective of who their sponsors are” as Pakistan was the “primary victim”.