UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told the 69th session of the UN General Assembly on Friday that he had been disappointed by India’s decision to cancel foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan.

In a speech that showed greater emphasis on the Kashmir dispute than seen during the last six years, he reminded the world body that it had left the Kashmir issue unresolved for decades.

Indian officials had warned Pakistan earlier this week that raising the Kashmir dispute at the UN General Assembly could further harm bilateral ties as New Delhi was against internationalising this issue. India, they argued, preferred bilateral talks on this and other issues concerning Pakistan.

Mr Sharif, who launched a new initiative to improve relations with India immediately after his election last year, seemed visibly upset with New Delhi’s decision to cancel the foreign secretary-level talks scheduled last month.

India criticised for cancelling secretary-level talks

India argues that Pakistan caused the cancellation by inviting Kashmiri leaders to its high commission in New Delhi before the talks.

Mr Sharif disagreed.

“We were disappointed at the cancellation of the foreign secretary-level talks. The world community, too, rightly saw it as another missed opportunity,” he said, while urging India to remain engaged with Pakistan despite such irritants.

“Pakistan is convinced that we must remain engaged in the dialogue process for settling disputes and building economic and trade relations. Let us not ignore the dividends of peace,” he said.

The prime minister noted that in South Asia people had missed opportunities for prosperity because of unresolved conflicts.

“We have a choice today: continue with the status quo or to seize the moment to resolve all outstanding issues and free up our shared energies for cooperation,” he said.

“To take this course of high statesmanship, we need more, not less, dialogue and diplomacy. We need to respect each other’s rights and sensibilities. We must have relationships based on equality, mutual respect and transparency.”

The prime minister reminded the world body that for more than six decades ago, the United Nations passed resolutions to hold a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir are still waiting for the fulfillment of that promise,” he said.

Diplomatic observers at the United Nations say that this emphasis on the UN Security resolution on Kashmir would upset India, which claims that the resolution can no longer be implemented.

“Many generations of Kashmiris have lived their lives under occupation, accompanied by violence and abuse of their fundamental rights.

Kashmiri women, in particular, have undergone immense suffering and humiliation,” Mr Sharif said.

By describing the Kashmir dispute as “the core issue” between India and Pakistan, the prime minister also rejected another New Delhi demand that Pakistan should no longer call it the core issue and instead focus on other issues, such as better bilateral trade, for improving ties.

“We cannot draw a veil on the issue of Kashmir, until it is addressed in accordance with the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, rejecting a suggestion that he was willing to move aside the Kashmir dispute for improving ties with India but the Pakistani establishment was preventing him from doing so. The prime minister, however, made it clear that he too believed relations between India and Pakistan could not improve if this core issue remained unresolved.

“Pakistan is ready to work for resolution of this problem through negotiations. Our support and advocacy of the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is our historic commitment and a duty, as a party to the Kashmir dispute,” he said.

The prime minister also underlined his efforts to improve ties with another neighbour, Afghanistan, which, he noted, was going through momentous security, political and economic transitions.

“As always, Pakistan stands in solidarity with the fraternal Afghan people,” he said. “It is our earnest hope that these landmark processes would culminate in the emergence of a stronger, more stable, and unified Afghanistan.”

The prime minister hoped that the process of inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan- owned reconciliation would move forward, contributing to greater harmony, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan remains committed to forging a deeper bilateral relationship with Afghanistan on the basis of equal security and shared prosperity.

Our two nations confront common challenges, which call for greater cooperation and understanding between our two nations,” he said.

Mr Sharif urged Afghanistan to “become a pivot of strategic cooperation”, with Pakistan rather than of rivalry.

He noted that his government had ‘consciously’ reached out to Afghanistan to address difficult issues and build on convergences. “We have made headway in this effort,” he added.

Mr Sharif told the world body that Pakistan had launched a massive operation to eliminate terrorism and reminded Afghanistan that “complementary counter-terrorism measures on the Afghan side of the border are essential to achieve optimal results.”

The prime minister covered a number of key issues in his speech but avoided the emergence of the Islamic State militant group in Syria and Iraq.

Published in Dawn, September 27th , 2014