India slams Pakistan at UN for politicising forum with Kashmir remarks

India on Tuesday criticised Pakistan for raising the Kashmir issue during an informal United Nations Security Council forum accusing Islamabad of misusing its role as cochair of the meeting to pursue political objectives rather than maintaining neutralitySpeaking at the informal Security Council meeting on ldquoBridging the Implementation Gap Security Council Resolutions and Maintenance of International Peace and Securityrdquo Indiarsquos Permanent Representative to the UN P Harish firmly rejected Pakistanrsquos remarks regarding Jammu and KashmirldquoThe Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is a matter strictly internal to India It is always been is and will remain sordquo Harish said during the meetingHe also questioned Pakistanrsquos conduct as cochair of the forum stating ldquoIt is incredible that a coChair expected to be balanced and unbiased in conduct has chosen to politicize this forumrdquoMeeting jointly convened by China and PakistanThe discussion was organised under the Arria Formula format an informal mechanism of the Security Council that allows participation by member states experts organisations and other stakeholders outside the Councilrsquos formal proceedingsThe meeting was jointly convened by China and Pakistan with representatives of both countries serving as cochairsDuring the session Pakistanrsquos Permanent Representative to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmad raised the Kashmir issue and criticised Indiarsquos position on the regionIndia points to implementation of past UN resolutionsIndia responded by highlighting Pakistanrsquos own record regarding Security Council resolutions related to Kashmir According to India Pakistan has failed to comply with provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 47 adopted in April 1948The resolution called for Pakistan to withdraw its armed forces security personnel and civilians from areas of Kashmir that had come under its control following the conflictIndian representatives argued that Pakistanrsquos actions have hindered the implementation of resolutions it frequently cites in international forumsCall for review of Security Council mandatesApart from addressing the Kashmir issue Harish also called for a broader review of Security Council mandates as part of the ongoing UN80 initiative which seeks to evaluate the functioning and effectiveness of the United Nations as it marks its 80th yearldquoIndia would like to emphasise that at a time when member states are undertaking mandate implementation review under the UN80 framework for all UN General Assembly mandates in order to achieve efficiencies there is no reason why UN Security Council mandates should be outside the purview of such UN80 frameworksrdquo he saidHarish suggested that provisions under Chapter VI of the UN Charter which relate to mediation and peaceful settlement of disputes should also be reassessed in light of changing geopolitical realitiesOutdated mediation frameworks need reassessment says IndiaAccording to Harish mediation efforts and intervention mechanisms cannot be assumed to remain relevant indefinitelyThese interventions are drawn up in order to address the prevailing realities and do not have perpetual validityrdquo and therefore ldquothey warrant a review in accordance with changing circumstances and contextsrdquo he saidReferring to the Palestinian issue he noted that despite decades of mediation initiatives and evolving diplomatic frameworks a lasting solution remains elusiveldquoThere exists an undeniable case for reviewing outdated mediation frameworks he said ldquoAny assumption of the perpetual applicability of a Chapter VI mediation intervention is erroneous to say the leastrdquoIndia maintained that periodic reviews of international mechanisms are necessary to ensure that they remain effective and aligned with contemporary realitiesWith inputs from IANS