Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari fumbled on camera after describing India as “our friend” before using the term “neighbouring” country.
The Pakistani foreign minister was addressing a press conference at the United Nations where he was responding to a question that drew parallels between the situation in Palestine with Kashmir.
“And whenever the issue of Kashmir is brought up, our friends within, with.. our friend… our.. our… neighbouring countries, strongly object, vociferously object and they perpetuate a post-fact narrative where they try to claim that this is not a dispute for the United Nations, that this is not a disputed territory recognised for the international community,” the 34-year-old Pakistani foreign minister said.
Watch: Pakistan FM Bilawal Bhutto admits "uphill task" to get Kashmir at UN due to objections from "neighbouring country" after momentarily describing India as "friend" pic.twitter.com/VCaWfBqDyn— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) March 11, 2023
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has admitted that Islamabad faces an “uphill task” to get the Kashmir issue into the “centre” of the agenda of the United Nations.
“You’re also right to note that we face a particularly uphill task to try and get Kashmir into the centre of the agenda at the United Nations,” Zardari said at a press conference here on Friday.
Pakistan rakes up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at every UN forum and platform, irrespective of the topic or agenda being discussed.
However, it fails to get any traction or support for its agenda from the wider UN membership that considers Kashmir to be a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.
Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019.
India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.
India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.
(With PTI inputs)
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