Jammu & Kashmir out of UN disputes list; Pakistan cries foul

In what could be a major setback to Pakistan’s efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, the United Nations has reportedly excluded Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) from its list of unresolved international disputes under the observation of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

The Pakistan government has objected to the exclusion and hopes that it is just a case of oversight or an inadvertent omission, while India has welcomed the move.

Some sections in Pakistan view the move as the immediate fallout of US president Barack Obama’s recent visit to India.

Obama had promised to back New Delhi’s bid for permanent membership in the UNSC.

The United Kingdom, which is holding the presidency of the council this month, has also supported India’s candidature as a permanent member.

Pakistan’s foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit said his office was not sure whether the Kashmir issue had actually been removed from the UN list.

However, he added that his government had taken a serious notice of it and its acting envoy in the UN, Amjad Hussain Sial, has lodged a strong protest.

Quoting Sial, he said this seems be an inadvertent omission, as J&K is one of the oldest disputes on the agenda of the council. It simply can’t be excluded from the agenda of the international body without discussing the issue at its forums and taking into confidence the parties to the conflict, including Pakistan.

The news has been welcomed in India. Minister of state for external affairs Preneet Kaur said: “We have always firmly maintained that J&K is an integral part of India... This is a very welcome step, if it is true.”

Lalit Mansingh, former ambassador to the US, however, was circumspect.

“Pakistan has objected to the UN removing Kashmir from the disputed list in the past too. The organisation obliged them by put it back. We should wait for the UN’s reaction. It’s a positive step, but there won’t be much change in policy.”

Former high commissioner to Pakistan, G Parthasarthy said: “We will have to wait and watch at the political level as it is premature to say anything now.”
 The reported decision has left marginalised separatists seething with anger. Hurriyat Conference chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has called upon UN secretary general Ban-Ki Moon to come clean on this issue.

“I think there is some technical mistake. Otherwise, it is not possible to drop Kashmir from the list of long pending disputes. Around 18 resolutions have been passed by the UN over Kashmir. How can they deny it now?” he asked.

(With inputs from Amir Mir in Pakistan and Ishfaq-ul Hassan in Srinagar)