‘The Only Issue Is Illegal Area Occupied By Pakistan’: Govt Rejects UN Sec Gen’s Offer To Mediate On Kashmir Issue

Government of India on Sunday (16 February) rejected the offer made by United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres to mediate between India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the issues pertinent to the Kashmir region of the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), reports the Hindustan Times.

Rejecting the offer from Guterres, Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asserted that the only issue to be addressed is the vacation of territories illegally occupied by the Pakistani regime.

MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "India’s position has not changed. Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and will continue to be an integral part of India. The issue that needs to be addressed is that of vacation of the territories illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan."

Guterres is presently in Pakistan on a four-day visit. It was while addressing the media persons from Pakistan that Guterres made the offer for mediation between the two nations calling deescalation a matter of importance. He had made the offer after meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

It should be noted that Pakistan has repeatedly sought to raise the issue at the UN General Assembly and Security Council with the backing of its ally China.