The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has firmly objected to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Volkan Bozkir’s statement over Pakistan being ‘duty-bound’ to raise the Kashmir issue more strongly at the UN.

India has termed the remark to be ‘unacceptable’ and asserted that Bozkir’s behaviour is truly regrettable and diminishes his standing on the international platform.

Asserting that the Turkish diplomat’s statements were ‘misleading’ and ‘prejudiced’, the MEA even said that Bozkir had done a great disservice to the office that he occupied.

“We express our strong opposition to the unwarranted references made with respect to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir by the President of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA) Volkan Bozkir during his recent visit to Pakistan,” Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the MEA, was quoted by the Indian Express.

He added, “His (Bozkir’s) remarks that Pakistan is ‘duty bound’ to raise this issue in the UN more strongly are unacceptable. Nor indeed is there any basis for comparison to other global situations.”

The UNGA President had motivated Pakistan to decisively take up the Kashmir issue on the global stage as he addressed a joint press conference with the neighbouring country’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Quereshi at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Friday.