India ignores Pakistan's latest taunt on Kashmir at UN forum

India has chosen not to engage with Pakistan’s latest attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the United Nations, instead using the platform to call for good neighbourly relations and respect for the sovereignty of other countries.

Speaking at the High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi sought to draw a parallel between Kashmir and the Palestinian issue. Referring to what she described as poverty and the denial of rights under “foreign occupation”, Lodhi said the suffering of people in Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine was particularly evident.

India, however, did not directly respond to the Kashmir reference. Srinivas Prasad, Minister in India’s UN Mission, who spoke later, shifted the focus to the broader principles of peace and international relations.

“A Culture of Peace is not just an abstract value or principle to be discussed and extolled in conferences, but needs to be actively built into global relationships between and among nation-states,” Prasad said.

He stressed that a genuine culture of peace depends on “good neighbourliness and a respect for other states”, urging UN members to work actively towards promoting these principles.

Pakistan has repeatedly attempted to bring the Kashmir issue into UN discussions. Just last week, Lodhi raised the matter during a Security Council session on mediation and the settlement of disputes, suggesting that the Council revisit the issue on the basis of resolutions adopted around seven decades ago.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, had rejected that approach, arguing that repeatedly returning to an unsuccessful formula does not demonstrate a genuine commitment to peaceful resolution.

India has also frequently chosen not to respond to Pakistan's references to Kashmir at the UN. Indian officials have noted that Pakistan remains the only country among the 193 UN member states that regularly raises the Kashmir issue in such forums.

During Wednesday’s discussion, Prasad also highlighted India’s historical association with the idea of peaceful coexistence. He traced the country’s culture of peace from the Vedic period through the teachings of Gautama Buddha and the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.

He said this long tradition had contributed to India becoming a society where different cultures and religions have blended over centuries.

“As the birthplace of Lord Buddha and home to the second largest Muslim community in the world, we are deeply conscious and proud of this heritage,” Prasad said, adding that India's commitment to promoting a culture of peace therefore came naturally from its historical experience.

India’s response reflects its longstanding position that bilateral disputes, including Kashmir, should not be internationalised, while its emphasis at the forum remained focused on broader principles of peaceful coexistence and responsible relations between nations.