Daijiworld Media Network - New York

New York, Oct 10: India has criticised Pakistan at the United Nations for what it described as the misuse of the international forum to spread “lies and falsehoods” about the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

India exercised its Right of Reply on Friday in response to a statement made by Pakistan during the Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly under the agenda item on decolonisation. The committee deals with special political and decolonisation issues.

“It is regrettable that Pakistan continues to abuse this august forum by peddling lies and falsehoods about the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” Member of Parliament Mahima Kumari Mewar said while delivering India's response.

Mewar said Pakistan, which she accused of having an established record of military dictatorship, sham elections, imprisonment of popularly elected leaders, religious extremism and sponsoring terrorism as an instrument of state policy, should refrain from “preaching homilies” at the international forum.

“Jammu and Kashmir is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” she said.

India also called on Pakistan to end what it described as grave and continuing human rights violations in areas under its illegal occupation. Mewar said the local population was openly resisting Pakistan's military occupation, repression, brutality and exploitation of resources.

She further alleged that Pakistani armed forces and their proxies had killed dozens of innocent civilians in recent months while they were protesting for basic rights, freedoms and necessities.

Mewar is part of a 15-member Indian parliamentary delegation that arrived in New York earlier this week for a familiarisation visit to the United Nations. During the visit, the delegation held a range of engagements at the UN and met members of the Indian diaspora at a special reception hosted by the Consulate General of India in New York.