Getting the Kashmir issue at the Centre of UN agenda is ‘uphill task’: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has finally admitted that there are no takers of Pakistan’s Kashmir rhetoric at the United Nations, and it faces an ‘uphill task’ to get the Kashmir issue into the ‘Centre’ of the agenda of the United Nations.

“We face a particularly uphill task to get the Kashmir issue into the centre of the agenda at the United Nations,” Bilawal Butto quotes quoted by PTI. The news agency also claimed that Zardari fumbled as he first referred to India as ‘our friend’ but later used the term ‘neighbouring’ country.

“Whenever the issue of Kashmir is brought up, our friends within, with our friend (fumbles)..our neighbouring countries, strongly object, vociferously object and they perpetual a post-fact narrative where they try to claim this this is not a dispute for the United Nations, that this is not a disputed territory recognised for the international community,” Mr. Bhutto said.

Notably, Pakistan has time and again raised the issue of Kashmir at the UN Council, irrespective of the topic or agenda being discussed, and has also drawn parallels between the situation in Palestine and Kashmir. However, Pakistan has not succeeded in getting wider UN membership that considers Kashmir to be a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.

Mr. Bhutto also claimed that ‘there are many similarities between the plight of the people of Kashmir and the plight of the people of Palestine.’ “I think its fair to say that both the issues remain unaddressed by the United Nations and we’d like to see an extra focus not only on Palestine but also on Kashmir,” he concluded.