Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raised the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly. (AFP)
Highlights
- Nawaz Sharif is in denial about Uri attack, India said
- Pak Wants To Talk, India imposing unacceptable conditions: Nawaz Sharif
- He raked up Kashmir protests and hailed terrorist Burhan Wani
India has strongly criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech at the United Nations General Assembly, in which he not only raked up the Kashmir protests, but also hailed Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani.
Addressing the media, junior foreign minister MJ Akbar said, "It is shocking that a leader of a free nation can glorify a self-declared terrorist (Burhan Wani). This is self-incrimination by Pakistan."
Responding to Mr Sharif's claim that Pakistan has "gone the extra mile and repeatedly offered dialogue", Mr Akbar said, "We haven't seen the first mile, where is the question of the extra mile?" Pakistan, he added, wants dialogue while "holding a gun in its hand". "Talks and guns don't go together."
Minutes after Mr Sharif's address at the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted:
Mr Sharif said Pakistan was ready to talk to India, but blamed India for imposing "unacceptable" conditions. He also raked up the protests in Kashmir and hailed Burhan Wani, who was killed on July 8, as a leader of a "Kashmiri intifada".
"Pakistan wants peace with India," he said in a 20-minute speech. "We have gone the extra mile and repeatedly offered dialogue. India has imposed unacceptable conditions."
Mr Sharif spent most of his time talking on Kashmir and India. "Talks are no favour to Pakistan. They are in the interest of both and essential to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and avoid escalation," he said.
At a time when tensions with India are rising over the terror attack in Uri, Mr Sharif said, "The United Nations ignores rising tensions in South Asia at its own peril. Pakistan is not engaged in arms race but we cannot ignore neighbours' arms build-up and will take whatever measures necessary to counter their arms build-up".
Yesterday, despite Mr Sharif's appeals for intervention, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made no reference to Kashmir in his last address to the General assembly. He touched upon a plethora of global issues including the crisis in Syria, the Palestinian issue, the situation in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, the refugee and migrant movements.