Srinagar: India has slammed Pakistan after Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram referred to Jammu and Kashmir during a Security Council debate on children and armed conflict, saying those who are soaked in bigotry will find it hard to understand a pluralistic society.
Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Ashish Sharma's sharp response came at the UN Security Council open debate on Wednesday over Children and Armed Conflict, held under UK’s presidency for the month, after Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram said it was an anomaly that the latest report of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Children and Armed Conflict does not include India.
"Let me also respond to the politically-motivated and frivolous remarks made by one delegation against my country. I will not dignify their venomous comments on India by responding to those, since those who are soaked in bigotry will find it hard to understand a pluralistic society," Sharma said.
Sharma said India dismisses and condemns “these frivolous remarks" with the contempt that they deserve.
"It is nothing but an attempt to divert the attention of the Council from grave violations against children that continues to be committed in Pakistan, as highlighted in the Secretary General's report,” Sharma said.
“Entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and always will be an integral and inalienable part of India, irrespective of what the representative of Pakistan believes or wishes,” he said.
In his statement, Sharma also voiced concern over the “dangerous and worrying trend” in “global terrorism” of an increase in the number of children being recruited and involved in terrorism-related activities.
Reportedly, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres removed India from his annual report on the impact of armed conflict on children over “improvement” in the situation in J&K.