(Image source from: thefederal.com)

Antonio Guterres who is the UN Secretary General has offered a mediation on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir which has been rejected by India and has said that the focus should instead be on making Pakistan to vacate the territories which it had occupied in an illegal and forcible manner.

The UN Secretary General has commented that he was deeply concerned over the situation that has taken place in Jammu and Kashmir, as reported by news agency PTI. He has also said that he was ready to extend his help if the two countries of India and Pakistan agree for a mediation, as said by Antonio Guterres in his visit to Pakistan.

Raveesh Kumar who is the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs says that the position of India has not changed and the Jammu and Kashmir has been, is presently and will also continue to be the integral part of India and the issue that has to be addressed is not of Jammu and Kashmir but that of vacating the territories which have been illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan.

He has also added saying that if there exists any further issues, it would be done bilaterally and that there is no scope for the mediation of a third party.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that India has hoped that the Secretary General of the United Nations would focus on the imperative for Pakistan to put an end to the terrorism regarding the cross borders against India as it would tend to threat the most fundamental human right which right to life of the people of India which also includes the people living in Jammu and Kashmir.

The government of India has scrapped the special status that has been granted to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir which has now been split into two union territories namely Jammu and Kashmir as one union territory where as the other union territory being Ladakh. The trifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir has been done in the month of August during the last year.

The UN Secretary General has been on a visit to Pakistan where he said in a press meet after his meeting with Shah Mahmood Qureshi who is the Foreign Minister of Pakistan that he was deeply concerned over the situation of Jammu and Kashmir was also concerned about the tensions along the line of Control.

By Shrithika Kushangi