City
Epaper

UNSC President refuses to comment on Pakistan's letter

By IANS | Updated: August 9, 2019 20:40 IST

UN Security Council President Joanna Wronecka has refused to comment on the letter from Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the situation in Kashmir.

Open in App

Asked about it by reporters, she shook her and murmured "No," before walking away from a media briefing by seven Western countries on Thursday.

Qureshi's letter written on August 1, before India scaled back the special status of Kashmir, was circulated to the members of the Security Council and released by the UN on Thursday.

Wronecka was one of the diplomats who stood by at the briefing where Belgium's Deputy Permanent Representative Karen Van Vlierberge read a statement expressing support for Georgia and criticizing Russia for "intensification" of the border situation there. None of them entertained media questions and walked away.

Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi, who is on lobbying mission on Kashmir, had met Wronecka on Wednesday.

In his letter, Qureshi had expressed concern about what he said were then "widespread concerns that India is preparing ground to abolish Article 35-A of its Constitution as a first step, followed by the revocation of Article 370".

He also asked Guterres to appoint a special representative for Kashmir and to send a fact-finding team to the area.

Asked about the request, Guterres's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at his daily briefing on Thursday: "We're studying it. The Secretary-General is following the situation very closely. The Secretariat is following the situation very closely, but I have nothing to announce or to hint at towards the issue of a special envoy."

In answer to another question if Guterres planned to bring the Kashmir developments to the Council or to brief it, he said: "We've not. I'm not aware of any plans to brief."

With Guterres and General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa away from the headquarters, Lodhi met Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, on Thursday.

She had met Guterres's Chief of State Maria Louisa Ribeiro Viotti on Wednesday.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: guterreskashmirSecurity CouncilMaleeha Lodhiindia
Open in App

Related Stories

EntertainmentBeing Recognized as India Is My Highest Honor: Nandini Gupta on Her Miss World Journey

NationalCashless Medical Aid Scheme 2025 Kicks Off: Road Accident Victims to Get Free Treatment Up to ₹1.5 Lakh

NationalOperation Sindoor: PM Narendra Modi Calls For All-Party Meeting On May 8 After India Strikes On Pakistan Terror Camps

National'Jai Hind Ki Sena': From Devendra Fadnavis To Yogi Adityanath, Politicians Hail Indian Army For Operation Sindoor's Success

NationalJ&K: Water Level Of Chenab River In Akhnoor Rises After Significant Dip (Watch Video)

International Realted Stories

InternationalIndia negates Pak drone/missile attack on over 15 places, knocks out Lahore air defence system

InternationalPakistan Alleges India Used Israel-Made Harop MK 2 Drones in 'Operation Sindoor', Shares Debris Photos

InternationalBangladesh's former President Abdul Hamid leaves country

InternationalFormer Bangladeshi Prez Abdul Hamid leaves country

InternationalOperation Sindoor: Pakistan shuts down flight operations in major cities