At UN, Sharif proposes 4-point peace formula
NEW YORK: India responded on Thursday to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs UN speech in which he offered New Delhi a new peace roadmap centred around the demilitarisation of Kashmir.
In a strongly-worded statement, Abhishek Singh, first secretary, Permanent Mission of India to the UN said, The world watches with concern as the consequences of terrorism and its use have spread beyond its immediate neighbourhood. The heart of the matter is the use of terrorism as a tool of statecraft.
Exercising a Right of Reply, India said, Sharifs portrayal of Pakistan as the primary victim of terrorism was inaccurate.
De-militarising Kashmir is not the answer, but to de-terrorize Pakistan is, tweeted foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup soon after Sharifs address.
In truth, Pakistan is a victim of its own policies of breeding and sponsoring terrorists. Seeking to mask its activities in Jammu and Kashmir carries no credibility with the world, said Abhishek Singh.
All of us stand prepared to help, if only the creators of this monster wake up to the dangers of what they have done to themselves, added Singh. On Sharif saying J&K is under foreign occupation, Singh said, It is, except that the occupier in question is Pakistan.
Noting Pakistans s apparent regret that dialogue has not progressed, Singh said, If it is so, this is because Pakistan has chosen to disregard its commitments.
Sharifs reference to ceasefire violations and exchange of fire along the Line of Control, India said, The world knows that the reason for firing is to provide cover to terrorists crossing the border. It needs no imagination to figure out which side initiates this exchange.
Swarup went on to accuse Pakistan of being the prime sponsor of terrorism. Responding to Nawazs speech Swarup said,
Rebutting the Pak premiers claim that Kashmiris are oppressed by foreign occupation, the foreign office spokesperson said, Pakistani PM gets foreign occupation right, occupier wrong. We urge early vacation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Underscoring the urgency of resolving the decades-old dispute over Kashmir, Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday proposed to India a four-point peace initiative, aimed at addressing the causes of tensions between the two nuclear-armed arch nemeses.
Addressing the world leaders at the 70th anniversary session of the 193-member UN General Assembly, the prime minister proposed Pakistan and India formalise and respect the 2003 understanding for a complete ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir to be monitored by an expanded UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
He said an easing of threat perceptions through such peace efforts will make it possible for Pakistan and India to agree on a broad range of measures to address the peril posed by offensive and advanced weapons systems.
However, the prime minister also urged New Delhi to desist from creating instability in Pakistan. Wisdom dictates that our immediate neighbour refrains from fomenting instability in Pakistan, he added. The two countries should address and resolve the causes of tension and take all possible measures to avert further escalation. Agencies
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