Team News Riveting
India grilled Pakistan over the issue of Kashmir at three international forums spread as far apart as New York, Kigali (Rwanda) and Astana (Kazakhstan).
Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi said it was unfortunate that Pakistan misused the ongoing CICA conference to “propagate false and malicious propaganda against my country and distract from the theme and focus of today’s discussions and cooperation among the member states’’. Asserting that India desires normal relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan, Minister of State for External Affairs, Meenakashi Lekhi said Islamabad must immediately cease cross-border terrorism.
Lekhi was addressing the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana, Kazakhstan. “Pakistan is the global epicentre of terrorism and continues to be the source of terrorist activities including in India. Pakistan continues to make no investment in human development but provides their resources for creating and sustaining infrastructure of terrorism,” she said.
Addressing the summit which was attended by several world leaders including Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Lekhi said India desired normal relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan.
“Pakistan is thereby advised to walk the talk by creating a conducive atmosphere, including by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible actions to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross border terrorism against India in any manner,” she said.
The Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman called on Pakistan to immediately cease anti-India cross-border terrorism and shut down its infrastructure of terrorism.
At the United Nations, India dismissed as “frivolous and pointless’’ an attempt by Pakistan to raise the Kashmir issue during the emergency debate on the Ukraine issue. Speaking after the UNGA had voted on the issue, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Munir Akram said he looked forward to “similar concern and condemnation about the attempts by India to formalise’’ annexation of Kashmir.
India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj replied by stating that statements “by one delegation to misuse this forum and make frivolous and pointless remarks against my country deserve our collective contempt and sympathy for a mindset which repeatedly utters falsehoods.’’
