UNITED NATIONS: India has strongly objected to Pakistan raising the Kashmir issue during the general debate in the Inter Parliamentary Council (IPC).

The leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Atal Bihari Vajpayee is slated to reply to the Pakistani statement that no implementation of the security council resolutions on Kashmir continue to endanger peace and security of the south Asian region.

Addressing the council, the speaker of the Pakistani National Assembly, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, urged the UN, the international community and parliamentarians to “uphold the just Kashmiri cause.”

He alleged repression in Kashmir and said India should be persuaded to agree to a “just, peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir issue in accordance with the relevant security council resolutions.”

As Gilani finished his speech, the Indian delegation objected to Pakistan raising Kashmir issue and demanded that they be allowed to reply. But the chairman said the rules do not have provision for right of reply. The Indian delegation could give the demand in writing which he would put before the preparatory committee today, he added.

In the UN meeting, nations have the right to reply but the rules circulated by IPC did not provide for it.

The leader of the Indian Delegation, Shivraj V. Patil, had already addressed the council when Gilani raised the iggue. But Vajpayee is due to address it later. Later, when Vijpayee came out at the end of the day’s session, several Pakistani correspondents as about his reaction to the demand, Vajpayee reminded them that under the resolutions, Pakistan was expected to withdraw {is forces from the occupied areas and it should do so first before making any such demand, ‘The Indian delegation called on the Secretary-general, Boutros Ghali, after he had inaugurated! the ‘council meeting. During the half an hour discussions, they exchanged views on several international issues and the question of ‘expansion of the security council also came up. Patil explained India’s view that is membership should be increased to make the 15 member council more and reflect the reality increased membership. Ghali said the consensus was yet to be reached on the issue.

Article extracted from this publication >>September 8, 1995