New York [USA]: In a veiled reference to Pakistan, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin said that India will not use United Nations as a platform for "dramatic purposes" and will soar when they stoop.
Asked whether India will explain the world leaders at United Nation about the abrogation of Article 370 and why it should not be internationalised, Akbaruddin told ANI here, "United Nations is a platform for multilateral engagement. It's a platform for collaboration, for cooperation. If there are efforts by individual countries to misuse that platform we know how to address them. Some people refer to the UN as a place of sacred drama. That means there are some who use it for dramatics, there are others who give it nature of sacrosanct importance in their orientation. We are not those who will use it for dramatic purposes. We are those who believe in focusing and addressing issues in a reasoned manner." "If someone stoops, we have ways of addressing it. When they stoop we soar. We do not need to stoop in the way they stoop. We have a forward-looking vision. We will soar when they stoop," he added.
Akbaruddin statement comes ahead of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had earlier stated that he will raise the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly session. On this, Akbaruddin stated, "This is my 35th year in diplomacy. I have seen many theatrics in the general assembly. Many people use their 30 minutes of global attention in the ways that they want. People remember them for what they are - acronyms who do not conform to the global norm."
He added, "If a country and a leader wants to do that, he or she is free to do that. I have heard rants, I have heard abuses from different leaders, yet who remembers them? They are footnotes in the path of history. If people want to remember like that, it is their free will to do that." Will India take up the issue of human rights violations in Pakistan? "India is a serious actor. Its voice is heard with seriousness. What we do, when we do, we will do the way we want it. It's not for broadcast purposes you will appreciate. We are a player of consequence in the world, not dramatist personae who just is a fleeting presence on the world stage," Akbaruddin said.
Last month, India abrogated Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir and divided it into two Union Territories. On September 18, Imran Khan said there is no chance of talks between India and Pakistan on Kashmir until the 'curfew' is lifted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday departed for a week-long visit to the United States with an aim to boost bilateral ties and present India as "a vibrant land of opportunities". Pakistan had rejected India's request to allow the use of its air space for Modi's flight.
By SANDEEP/SUSHMITA/ANI
