Fully ready to respond to Pakistan provocation: India tells UN

United Nations, Oct 8: India and Pakistan have sparred at the UN over ceasefire violations along the LoC with India making it clear that its armed forces are "fully ready" to respond to "provocation".

India also said that the onus of creating a positive environment for normalisation of relations is on Pakistan. War of words between the two countries over the situation at the Line of Control took place yesterday at the UN General Assembly where India said that it was a "matter of deep regret" that Pakistan violated the ceasefire, in which eight people were killed and several others injured.

"It is a matter of deep regret that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire and their unprovoked firing has led to loss of civilian lives on Indian side...Firing on innocent civilians by Pakistan will only hamper normalisation of relations. "The onus of creating a positive environment is on Pakistan which is utterly failing to do so," senior official at the Indian Mission to the UN, Devesh Uttam said yesterday in his right of reply to Pakistan's remarks.

The Indian official stressed that everyone must be "assured" that India's armed forces and paramilitary forces are "fully ready and they will respond to provocation". The Indian diplomat was responding to comments made by Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Masood Khan when he raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir during the 21st plenary meeting of the General Assembly here yesterday.

Khan said that long-standing festering issues "cannot be swept under the carpet," reiterating Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's address to the UN General Assembly last month that the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir has to be be resolved through negotiations and in accordance with the wishes of its people.

Voicing concern over the recent escalation of the ceasefire violations along the LoC by Indian security forces, Khan called on the Indian Government to immediately cease fire to preserve tranquility at the border. He added that the UN mission in India and Pakistan must also be enabled to play its role in monitoring the ceasefire.

The Indian representative, again exercising the right of reply, said that India rejected all untenable and unsolicited remarks made by Pakistan.

Later, a representative of Pakistan, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said that the ceasefire along the LoC and the working boundary must be preserved in the interest of people in the region, and asked for restraint from the Indian government and from security forces.

He called for the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to be enabled to play its role in monitoring the ceasefire and securing peace and tranquility along the LoC and the working boundary.

PTI