Vikrant Shekhawat : May 29, 2021, 07:29 AM
NEW DELHI: India on Friday slammed UNGA president Volkan Bozkir for his remark that Pakistan was “duty bound” to raise the J&K issue more strongly in the UN and said his behaviour was truly regrettable and “surely diminishes his standing on the global platform”. Bozkir’s remark came during his visit to Pakistan.In a joint news conference with Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Bozkir also called upon the two countries to refrain from taking steps that could affect the status of J&K even though he didn’t directly mention India’s decision to revoke the special status of J&K in 2019.“We express our strong opposition to the unwarranted references made with respect to ...J&K by the president of the United Nations General Assembly Volkan Bozkir during his recent visit to Pakistan,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a statement, adding that the UN official’s remark was unacceptable.“Nor indeed is there any basis for comparison to other global situations. When an incumbent president of the UNGA makes misleading and prejudiced remarks, he does great disservice to the office he occupies,” he said.Bozkir also said in Pakistan that the UN’s position on J&K was governed by the UN charter, and applicable Security Council resolutions. “India and Pakistan’s Simla Agreement of 1972 which says that the final status of J&K is to be settled by peaceful means in accordance with the UN charter,” he said.