Kashmir unrest: Pakistan has no 'locus standi' in our internal affairs, reiterates India

New Delhi, July 14 (ANI): Maintaining its stand that Pakistan has no business interfering in India's internal Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday lashed out at Pakistan raising Kashmir at the United Nations (UN) saying that it was a 'self service' exercise on their behalf for narrow political ends. "This is a self service exercise for narrow political ends, and let me make three very clear points. First, terrorism is terrorism. No amount of justification on the part of Pakistan is going to change. Second, our internal affairs are solely ours to handle. Any effort by any other party claiming it as theirs or trying to interfere and seeking to internationalise the issue will not change that reality," MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in a press conference. "Thirdly, the world today has a very clear view on which country in our region covets the territory of others, uses terrorism as an instrument of state policy, provides sanctuary to UN designated terrorists and terrorist groups and violates human rights," Swarup added. Talking about the possibility of holding dialogues with Pakistan, he reaffirmed that India has never shied away from dialogue with its neighbour. However, he added that it is incumbent upon Pakistan to create the right atmosphere for a productive dialogue to take place. "Because as we have repeated on numerable occasion in the past, talks and terror cannot go hand in hand," Swarup said. Pakistan has urged the UN to get its resolutions on Kashmir implemented and said that Islamabad wants to resolve all outstanding issues with India through talks as war is not an option. Briefing media in Islamabad today, Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that it was the responsibility of the UN to solve international disputes, including Kashmir. "He said Pakistan wants to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir with India through talks, as war is not a solution to any issue. He asked the international community to pressurise India to hold talks with Pakistan for the resolution of Kashmir issue," said the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement. However, tearing into Pakistan's ulterior motive to cash in on the protest-related deaths in the Kashmir Valley by racking up the issue at the UN platform, India has dubbed it as "an attempt to misuse the UN platform by a country that covets the territory of others and uses terrorism as state policy towards that misguided end". "Regrettably, earlier today, we have seen an attempt at misuse of this UN platform. The attempt came from Pakistan, a country that covets the territory of others; a country that uses terrorism as state policy towards that misguided end; a country that extols the virtues of terrorists and that provides sanctuary to UN-designated terrorists; and a country that masquerades its efforts as support for human rights and self determination," India's Permanent Representative to U.N. Syed Akbaruddin said. Earlier today, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry briefed the Islamabad-based Ambassadors of the member countries of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir - Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Niger - through its capital on Wednesday morning over the tense situation in Kashmir and conveyed Pakistan's serious concern over the killings of civilians and violation of their fundamental human rights by Indian Security Forces. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party, Bilawal Bhutto called up Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and expressed solidarity with people of Kashmir amid the ongoing unrest. Sources say that Bhutoo told Awami Action Committee chairman that after Friday prayers, solidarity marches would be taken out across Pakistan to express solidarity with Kashmiris. "Spoke to @MirwaizKashmir & expressed condolences, condemnation & solidarity with the people of #Kashmir," Bhutto tweeted. Mirwaiz, meanwhile, appreciated Bhutto's concern for Kashmir. "Appreciate the support & concern of the people of Pakistan and their leadership @BBhuttoZardari," Mirwaiz tweeted in response. Mirwaiz had on Tuesday alleged that aggressive approach of the current Indian dispensation in Kashmiri led to violence and unrest in the state and warned that it could "lead to catastrophic consequences for the whole region". Addressing the people of India in the wake of protest-violence triggered by the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani on Friday, he said, "I want to convey to the people of India that for the sake of humanity, peace and progress in the region they need to understand the truth and reality of Kashmir and play their role with regard to resolving this political issue." (ANI)