New York, September 22: India on Monday hit back at Pakistan for raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir during the high-level meeting to commemorate 75 years of United Nations (UN), saying Islamabad is globally recognised as the epicentre of terrorism which harbours and trains terrorists, hails them as martyrs and consistently persecutes its ethnic and religious minorities.

Exercising India's Right of Reply after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi raked up the Kashmir issue in his address to UN, First Secretary India in UN, Vidisha Maitra, deemed Qureshi's speech as the "never-ending fabricated narrative" about the internal affairs of India. Also Read | US Household Wealth Hits Record Even As Economy Struggles Due to COVID-19 Pandemic.

The virtual edition of a special General Assembly session to mark 75 years of the institution commenced on Monday (local time). "I take the floor in the exercise of the right of reply to the statement made by the representative of Pakistan. Our delegation had hoped that during this solemn commemoration of a shared global milestone, the General Assembly would be spared another repetition of the baseless falsehoods that have now become a trademark of Pakistan's interventions on such platforms," said Maitra.

"However, for a nation that is bereft of milestones, one can only expect a stonewalled and stymied approach to reason, diplomacy and dialogue. What we heard today is the never-ending fabricated narrative presented by the Pakistani representative about the internal affairs of India," she added.

Maitra said that India rejected the "malicious reference" made by Qureshi to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India.

"If there is an item that is unfinished on the agenda of the UN, it is that of tackling the scourge of terrorism. Pakistan is a country which is globally recognised epicentre of terrorism, which by its own admission harbours and trains terrorists and hails them as martyrs, and consistently persecutes its ethnic and religious minorities," she stated. Also Read | Israel Defence Minister Benny Gantz Heads to US to Discuss Military Edge.

"It would do well turn its attention inwards to immediately addressing these pressing concerns, instead of misusing UN platforms to divert attention from them by misusing UN platforms," Maitra said. (ANI)

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