Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto has made a startling admission on Kashmir in the United Nations. He has conceded that his country has failed to make the Kashmir issue a top priority in the UN and draw the attention of the organization to it. Bilawal also acknowledged that all of Pakistan’s efforts had failed, while India’s diplomatic efforts on Kashmir had been successful in the UN. Bilawal made these comments during a press conference on Friday. In an unprecedented move, he referred to India as a friend.
During the press conference, Bilawal admitted that promoting the Kashmir issue as an agenda of the UN and drawing the attention of the organization to it had been challenging. He mentioned India and called it a friend, stating that it opposes on a large scale the notion that Kashmir is a disputed border. India, according to Bilawal, always insists that its occupation of Kashmir is justified and supported, contrary to reality.
Bilawal added that Pakistan’s views on Kashmir were difficult to accept even if the international community rejected them. However, he promised that Pakistan would not let up in its efforts. Bilawal had previously commented on Kashmir, leading to a befitting reply from India. In a debate led by Mozambique on the occasion of International Women’s Day, Bilawal mentioned Kashmir in the Security Council.
Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained since the Pulwama terror attack in February 2019 and the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August 2019. India has consistently maintained that apart from talks, Pakistan has created an atmosphere of terror and enmity. The admission by Bilawal that Pakistan has failed to make the Kashmir issue a top priority in the UN and draw the organization’s attention to it is a significant step towards acknowledging the reality of the situation.