India on August 16 told Pakistan that it has to stop terrorism to start talks as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held a rare closed-door meeting to discuss revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, reports Daily Excelsior. Indian envoy to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said India’s position was and remains that matters related to the Article 370 of the Constitution are entirely an internal matter of India and these have no external ramifications. Without naming Pakistan, he said there are some who are trying to project an ‘alarmist approach’ to the situation in Kashmir, which is far from the ground realities. “Stop terror to start talks,” he asserted.
Akbaruddin, on the Chinese and Pakistani envoys’ remarks after the UNSC meeting, said that, “For the first time after the end of Security Council consultations, we noted that two states (China and Pakistan) who made national statements tried to pass them off as the will of the international community.” He said India is committed to gradually removing all restrictions in Kashmir. “India remains committed to ensure that the situation in Kashmir remains calm and peaceful. We are committed to all the agreements that we have signed on this issue. We note that there are some who try to project an alarmist approach to the situation, which is far from the ground realities.” “Of particular concern is that one state is using terminology of jihad and promoting violence in India, including by their leaders. Violence is no solution to the problems that all of us face,” Akbaruddin said.