Empty rhetoric, hollow claims: India shreds Pakistan at UN over Kashmir issue

India on Friday hit out at Pakistan at the United Nations, rejecting its 'unwarranted' reference to Jammu and Kashmir during a UN General Assembly discussion and saying its "empty rhetoric and hollow claims" will not change the ground reality.

Delivering India's statement, Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said Pakistan had misused the platform by raising an internal matter to India. The exchange came after Pakistan's envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad mentioned Jammu and Kashmir in his remarks during the debate.

"The unwarranted reference by Pakistan to a matter strictly internal to India, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, has compelled me to respond. Pakistan has decided not to spare this forum either from their characteristic misuse of august UN platforms for their divisive political interests. Abuse of its presence on the Security Council by Pakistan, including through the circulation of several misinformed and misleading communications also testifies to this counter-productive approach. I would like to remind Pakistan that being a member of the UN Security Council is a huge responsibility. It is not a forum for peddling biased and false narratives," Harish said.

He reiterated India's position that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and will always remain" an integral part of the country, calling contrary claims baseless and inconsistent with historical facts.

"I would like to make it loud and clear. Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. Any assertions to the contrary are baseless, devoid of and inconsistent with historical facts. Empty rhetoric and hollow claims by Pakistan would not change this fundamental reality," Harish said.

The Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations also used the occasion to flag broader concerns over the functioning of the UN Security Council, saying its current structure still reflects geopolitical realities of 1945.

"The current structure reflects geopolitical realities of 1945. Retaining the staus quo has so far not enabled effective functioning of the Security Council and cannot do so in future," he said.

Harish also noted that the limited expansion in the 1960s, which only increased non-permanent membership, did little to change the Council's core structure. "Expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories is central to implementing real and meaningful reform," he said.

The G4 nations -- India, Brazil, Germany and Japan -- have long pushed for such reforms, proposing an expansion of the Security Council from 15 members to 25 or 26, including additional permanent and non-permanent seats.

At present, the Council comprises five permanent members with veto power -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. India last served as a non-permanent member in 2021-22.

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