After the UN Security Council (UNSC) concluded its informal consultation on Kashmir, Pakistan’s envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi said on Saturday that the voice of the Kashmiri people has been heard in the highest diplomatic forum in the world.
Following the UNSC closed-door consultation on Friday, Lodhi claimed the people from Jammu and Kashmir may be in the locked upstate, but their voices were heard at the UNSC.
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Lodhi further said, “We stand ready for a peaceful settlement of the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. This meeting nullifies India’s claim that Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter. The whole world is discussing….”(sic).
The UNSC meeting was held on Friday after China’s insistence to hold a discussion on the current situation of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir following India’s decision to revoke its special status.
The UNSC had earlier declined Pakistan’s request to hold a formal session on Kashmir with its participation.
India’s diplomatic encirclement of Pakistan has been a success with the primacy of its position over Jammu and Kashmir being undisputed and unchallenged. Barring China, the world has accepted India’s position including the Arab world, formerly sponsors and supporters of Pakistan.
The meeting was not attended by India and Pakistan, and it was only open to five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.
On August 5, India scrapped the provisions of Article 370 and as a result, Jammu and Kashmir lost its special status. It was also bifurcated into two Union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.