Pakistan to 'forcefully' highlight Kashmir issue at UNGA

Nafees Zakaria, saidmost of the UN Security Council members had already been taken onboard over the human rights violations in Kashmir Valley

Pakistan is to "forcefully" present its stance on India's "state terrorism" in Jammu and Kashmir at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is going to take this issue very forcefully at the UN platform," Nafees Zakaria, Foreign Office spokesman, said in his weekly press briefing.

Zakaria said Pakistan has always raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at the annual UNGA session and mentioned Sharif's speech at last year's session "where he strongly highlighted the internationally recognised dispute".

He said most UN Security Council members had "already been taken onboard on the continued human rights violations" in Kashmir Valley.

At least 65 people, including children, have been killed in Kashmir Valley battling the worst outbreak of unrest in many years.

The latest round of violence in Kashmir, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan, was triggered on July 9, a day after Burhan Wani, a popular young commander of Kashmir's largest pro-Pakistan group, Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed.