India on Friday asserted that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is, and will always remain" an integral part of India, as it slammed Pakistan for its repeated attempts of peddling "falsehood" during a debate on peacekeeping operations in the UN. He asked Pakistan to "desist from such rhetoric" as it will "not alter the facts".

Representing India at the Special Political and Decolonization (Fourth Committee) of the UN General Assembly, BJP National Spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said: "India chooses its right to reply in response to the comments made by Pakistan that has yet again made an attempt to divert this august body from its agenda. We would like to state that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir  was, is and will remain an integral part of India."

"The people of Jammu and Kashmir have recently exercised their democratic and electoral rights and elected a new government. Pakistan must desist from such rhetoric and falsehood because it will not alter the facts," the BJP Rajya Sabha member said.

Trivedi added that India will refrain from responding to any further attempts by Pakistan to "abuse" the UN procedures out of respect for the august members of the UN forum. 

VIDEO | "India chooses its right to reply in response to the comments made by Pakistan that has yet again made an attempt to divert this august body from its agenda. We would like to state that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will remain an integral part of… pic.twitter.com/d8jpJjjdLo

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 9, 2024

Trivedi's retort came after the Pakistani delegate spoke about the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which was set up to supervise the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC). India maintains that UNMOGIP has become irrelevant now after the Simla Agreement and the establishment of the Line of Control.

Following the UN address, Trivedi, in a post on X, said that Pakistani representative, while speaking on the subject of UN peacekeeping during the discussions "tried to digress the subject and unnecessarily mentioned that Pakistan's involvement with UN peacekeepers started when UN has put up peacekeepers in 1948" in Jammu and Kashmir.

The BJP leader added that "taking a sharp exception of this remark," he immediately exercised the Right of Reply on behalf of India and "firmly stated on the floor that the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will remain an integral part of India."

"It has also recently gone through a proper democratic election. So the august forum of United Nations cannot be used in mentioning these types of non-substantive and misleading terms," Trivedi added.

Sudhanshu Trivedi is part of a 12-member delegation of Parliament from India who are visiting the UN for diverse engagements at the world body.

While discussions in United Nations on UN Peacekeeping operations when the representative from Pakistan speaking on the same subject of UN peacekeeping, tried to digress the subject and unnecessarily mentioned that Pakistan’s involvement with UN peacekeepers started when UN has… pic.twitter.com/kbpycmEX2u

— Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi (@SudhanshuTrived) November 9, 2024

Earlier, while delivering a statement on the review of peacekeeping operations, Trivedi stated that today's conflicts are more challenging and that the volatile and complex settings involve terrorism and armed groups who capitalise on the situation to serve their own purpose. "India stands at the forefront in the effort to contribute to the peacekeeping efforts as the largest cumulative troop contributor to the UN peacekeeping operations".

He also highlighted the importance of "realistic mandates", saying "we must insist on practical and achievable mandates. Mission failures can be attributed to the non-robust mandates. This normally is the result when we keep the troops or police contributing countries out of the initial mandate formulation processes which we should avoid."

Trivedi spoke about peacekeepers experiencing increased asymmetric threats ranging from land mines to IEDs in recen years. "We cannot remain indifferent in this prospect."

Trivedi highlighted India's commitment to upholding the safety and security of peacekeepers amid complex conflicts involving both state and non-state actors.

He stressed that those responsible for crimes against peacekeepers must be brought to justice and accountability. Additionally, drew attention towards outdated peacekeeping missions, noting they drain valuable resources and often persist for political reasons.

"Exit strategies for peacekeeping missions should be integrated from the outset," he emphasised.

"UN peacekeeping is not just an operation, but it is a mission with utmost dedication. UN peacekeepers are making sacrifices not for just nationality, but for the whole humanity," he added.