India slams China for raking up Kashmir at UN

New Delhi (IANS) The government on Thursday slammed China at the United Nations for raking up India's internal matters and its failure to recognize Pakistan's cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

A spokesman for the Chinese mission to the UN had earlier said that the "question of Kashmir remains high on the Security Council's agenda".

Beijing's position on Indian Kashmir remains unchanged, he said adding that it is a "dispute left from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the charter of the United Nations, Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation".

On China's part, the spokesman said Ambassador Zhang as the Security Council president, had raised the issue at Pakistan's behest in March.

In response to queries, the ministry of external affairs, Anurag Srivastava said that India rejects the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a statement made by the spokesperson of the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations.

"China is well aware of India's consistent position on this issue. The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir has been, is and shall continue to be an integral part of India. Issues related to J&K are internal matter to India," he said.

The spokesperson said that the government's expectation is that other countries, including "China, would refrain from commenting on matters that are internal affairs of India and respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We also expect China to recognise and condemn the scourge of cross-border terrorism that affect the lives of the people of India, including in J&K".