India has strongly rejected Pakistan’s call for <g data-gr-id="27">plebiscite</g> in J&K, asserting that the state is an integral part of the country and its citizens have chosen a democratically-elected government.
“Pakistan must know that this is the Inter-Parliamentary Union platform and a forum where the 2030 development agenda is discussed,” said Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Her remarks comes a day after Pakistan National Assembly’s Acting Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi in his speech to the Fourth World Conference of Speakers said that “it is time” to enable the people of J&K to exercise their right to self-determination.
Mahajan rejected Pakistan’s move to raise the issue of Kashmir on a platform focussed on the global development agenda, saying the remarks are “totally irrelevant” and Islamabad must concentrate on development.
“J&K is an integrated part and parcel of India since independence. Democratically elections are held in the state,” she said. “Pakistan should keep in mind that elections take place in J&K and its people participate in the democratic process to elect their state government. There is an elected government there. What can be more democratic than this,” she said, rejecting Pakistan’s call for a plebiscite.
“Why Pakistan is raising the issue in each platform. This is not the platform for it, this is not an issue now. The agenda here is the 2030 sustainable development goals. There is no relevancy at all (for raising Kashmir) here,” she said.