Imran Khan welcomes UNSC meeting on Kashmir

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday welcomed a closed-door consultation on Kashmir by the UN Security Council, saying the resolution of the dispute is the "responsibility" of the world body. Taking to Twitter, Khan said that it was for the first time in over five decades that the "world's highest diplomatic forum" had taken up the issue of Kashmir and the "serious situation" prevailing there. "I welcome the UNSC meeting...," he tweeted.

Khan said that there were 11 UNSC resolutions on the issue and the meeting was a "reaffirmation of these resolutions." He said that ensuring resolution of the dispute is the "responsibility of this world body". Khan's statement came a day after the UN Security Council took up the issue of Kashmir in an informal consultation in New York. Pakistan has claimed it as a big success. The meeting on Kashmir by the Security Council ended without any outcome or statement from the powerful 15-nation UN organ, dealing a huge snub to Pakistan and its all-weather ally China to internationalise the issue, which an overwhelming majority stressed is a bilateral matter between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Sources familiar with the consultations said that China was pushing for an outcome or a press statement to be delivered after the consultations by Poland, the President of the Security Council for the month of August. However, majority of the 15 members said there should not be any statement or outcome issued after the consultations and their will prevailed, leaving China to come out and make a statement in its national capacity followed by Pakistan.

Briefing the media following the conclusion of the UNSC meeting in New York, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said India's position was and remains that matters related to the Article 370 of the Constitution are entirely an internal matter of India and these have no external ramifications. On August 5, India revoked Article 370 of the Constitution removing the special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and also bifurcated the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

By Sajjad Hussain