Onlykashmir.in News Desk
NEW YORK/Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, while addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, strongly criticized Pakistan, but without naming it, he called it a “perpetrator of terrorism.” The statement came after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address to the General Assembly a day earlier, in which he raised several regional issues, including Kashmir.
Jaishankar said that attempts to normalize terrorism or exempt its perpetrators from consequences are unacceptable. He said that India will exercise its right to self-defense against terrorism and friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism.
Terming terrorism as a constant threat to global peace, the Indian Foreign Minister said that when terrorism is linked to state sponsorship and cross-border operations, it becomes a direct challenge to the global order. He also stressed on exposing and taking action against the sources of financing of terrorism.
The stance came against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his speech on September 25, had linked the issues of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir while referring to Kashmir and, according to Pakistan, had called for a diplomatic solution for lasting peace.
Jaishankar also spoke about the situation in West Asia in his speech and said that a two-state solution is essential for sustainable and lasting peace. He said that India is also participating in humanitarian assistance and relief efforts for the Palestinian people.
The UN Secretary-General also declared on September 22 that the two-state solution is the path to lasting peace and security for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, which includes the concept of two sovereign states based on the pre-1967 borders.
