PHOTO: AFP
India responded on Thursday to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s UN speech in which he offered New Delhi a new peace roadmap centred around the demilitarisation of the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Read: UNGA address: Nawaz offers four-point peace roadmap to India
"To de-militarise Kashmir is not the answer, to de-terrorise Pakistan is," said Indian foreign office spokesperson Vikas Swarup in one of many tweets after the PM's speech.
The spokesperson said India maintains that Pakistan helps militant proxies infiltrate the territory's de facto border to foment unrest.
Swarup went on to accuse Pakistan of being the “prime sponsor” of terrorism. Responding to Nawaz’s speech Swarup said, “Pakistan is not primary victim of terrorism but of its own policies. It is in fact the prime sponsor of terrorism.”
Pakistan is not primary victim of terrorism but of its own policies. It is in fact the prime sponsor of terrorism.
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 30, 2015
“Pakistan's instability arises from its breeding of terrorists. Blaming neighboirs is not a solution,” Swarup said in another tweet.
Pakistan's instability arises from its breeding of terrorists. Blaming neighbors is not a solution.
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 30, 2015
Read: Kashmir, India and terrorism to remain focus of Nawaz's UN speech, say analysts
Rebutting the premier’s claim that Kashmiris are oppressed by foreign occupation, the Indian foreign office spokesperson said, “Pakistani PM gets foreign occupation right, occupier wrong. We urge early vacation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.”
Sharif UNGA speech: Pak PM gets foreign occupation right, occupier wrong. We urge early vacation of Pak occupied Kashmir
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 30, 2015
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will be speaking at the UN Thursday and will likely deliver her message in a similar tone.
Underscoring the urgency of resolving the decades-old dispute over the Himalayan state of Kashmir, PM Nawaz on Wednesday proposed to India a four-point peace initiative, aimed at addressing the causes of tensions between the two nuclear-armed arch nemeses.
Addressing the world leaders at the 70th anniversary session of the 193-member UN General Assembly, the prime minister proposed Pakistan and India formalise and respect the 2003 understanding for a complete ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir to be monitored by an expanded UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
Read: Nawaz-Kerry meeting: Pakistan conveys concern over Indian ceasefire violations
He said an easing of threat perceptions through such peace efforts will make it possible for Pakistan and India to agree on a broad range of measures to address the peril posed by offensive and advanced weapons systems.
However, the prime minister also urged New Delhi to desist from creating instability in Pakistan. “Wisdom dictates that our immediate neighbour refrains from fomenting instability in Pakistan,” he added. “The two countries should address and resolve the causes of tension and take all possible measures to avert further escalation.”
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