India will use its right to reply: MEA on Pak PM raking Kashmir issue

With Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raking up the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly and putting the blame on New Delhi for cancellation of the Foreign Secretary-level talks, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that India will give a befitting reply to Islamabad on the floor of the UN.

"The right to reply is something that a country can use. Prime Minister tomorrow is going to make his statement in a forward looking manner. As regards the right to reply, certainly India will use its right to reply and set the record straight but this will be done on the floor of the UN," said MEA official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.

Akbaruddin also made it clear that there is no meeting planned between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the UNGA.

"There is no meeting planned between the Prime Minister and Prime Minister of Pakistan. Tomorrow the Prime Minister has three scheduled meetings; these are with our South Asian neighbours. These are with the President of Sri Lanka, Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the Prime Minister of Nepal," he said.

Addressing the UNGA earlier, the Pakistani Prime Minister raised the issue of Kashmir and urged the international community to resolve this issue. Sharif also expressed his disappointment over the cancellation of the Foreign Secretary-level talks between the two nations, thereby putting the ball in India's court.

India had cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level talks between the two countries last month after Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit held talks with Kashmiri separatist leaders in New Delhi.