New Delhi, India on Friday criticised the comments by Turkey and Malaysia backing Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir at the UN General Assembly.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, addressing a briefing, slammed the statements on Kashmir by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad.
“India and Turkey are friendly countries. We, therefore, deeply regret that since August 6, there have been repeated statements by the Turkish Government on a matter completely internal to India. These statements are factually incorrect, biased and unwarranted. We call upon Turkish government to get a proper understanding of the situation before making any further comments,” he said.
On Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammed’s remarks, he said: “We have traditionally good and friendly ties with Malaysia. These relationship have been enhanced in recent years. We have noted the comment on Jammu and Kashmir by the Prime Minister of Malaysia. We deeply regret these comments since it is not based on facts.
“The facts are as under: Jammu and Kashmir signed the same Instrument of Accession as was done by other princely states. Pakistan invaded and illegally occupied parts of Jammu and Kashmir, a fact which has been recognized by the international community. The current developments in J & K and Ladakh is a purely internal matter of India and does not involve any third country.
“The Government of Malaysia should bear in mind the friendly relations between the two countries and desist from making such comments,” he said.
Malaysian PM Mohammed in his address at the 74th UN General Assembly, said: “Now, despite the UN resolution on Jammu and Kashmir, the country has been invaded and occupied…There may be reasons for this action but it is still wrong. India should work with Pakistan to resolve this problem. Ignoring the UN would lead to other forms of disregard for the UN and the Rule of Law.”
Turkey’s Erdogan had in his address said that despite the UN resolutions “eight million people are stuck” in Kashmir. He had called for the Kashmir issue to be solved through dialogue rather than conflict and criticised the international community for failing to pay attention to the issue.
