Refrain from changing J&K’s status unless resolved as per UNSC resolutions, Shimla Agreement: UNGA President

ISLAMABAD: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) president on Thursday called on the parties involved in the Kashmir dispute to refrain from changing the status of the disputed territory.

Addressing a news conference along with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the capital Islamabad, UNGA President Volkan Bozkir said he encouraged Pakistan and India to resolve the issue through peaceful means.

“As the minister [Pakistan Foreign Minister] mentioned, and also compared to two important things, I think the two problems are of the same age, Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir, and I fully agree that this is the case,” Bozkir said while responding to Qureshi who urged the United Nations to play its role for the resolution of the Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir disputes which are on the agenda of the Security Council for over seven decades.

“As president of the General Assembly, I must also reiterate that the United Nations’ position on the Jammu and Kashmir is governed by the United Nations Charter and applicable Security Council resolutions, and Simla Agreement of 1972, which state that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means, in accordance with the UN Charter,” he added.

He urged all the parties to refrain from taking steps that could affect the status of Jammu and Kashmir.

He was referring to the Indian government’s controversial legal changes after Aug. 5, 2019, allowing outsiders to buy non-agricultural land in the disputed region and issue domicile certificates to non-local residents. (AGENCIES)