India rejects China reference to J&K at UN

“We reject the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a statement made by the spokesperson of the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations. China is well aware of India’s consistent position on this issue. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and shall continue to be an integral part of India. Issues related to Jammu and Kashmir are internal matter to India.”

A spokesman for the Chinese mission to the UN had said that Beijing’s position on Kashmir remains unchanged as he rejected claims that the country, during its presidency of the Security Council in March, had ignored Pakistan’s call for urgent consideration of the decades-old dispute at the 15-member body.

“The question of Kashmir remains high on the Council’s agenda,” the spokesman had said in a statement. “China pays close attention to the current situation, and China’s position on the Kashmir issue remains unchanged,” he added.

The spokesman said Ambassador Zhang Jun, as the Security Council president, had circulated a letter from Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi highlighting India’s “grave violations” in Kashmir as an official document of the Council.