Heal thyself, young Indian diplomat's sharp retort to Pak for raising Kashmir issue at NAM

As Pakistan raked up the Kashmir issue at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Meeting here, a young Indian diplomat today sharply retorted that the country that glorifies violence and promotes cross-border terrorism should "heal" itself.

Priyanka Mehtani, a young diplomat, gave a sharp riposte to an "unwarranted diatribe" by Pakistan.

"Even as all of us have focused our energies, here in Baku, to address the relentless forces of change that make our working together imperative, a sole voice from the wilderness Pakistan - has ventured to sound a discordant note," she said.

Mehtani asserted that Pakistan attempted to "misuse" the NAM platform to promote its "self-serving propaganda" about Jammu and Kashmir, disregarding NAM's core values of mutual equality, mutual respect and mutual cooperation.

"My simple response to Pakistan is neighbour -- heal thy self. Glorifying violence, promoting cross-border terrorism, harbouring territorial ambitions against the territorial integrity of neighbours are all methodologies of those who live in yesterday's world," she said.

"Resort to these will not change the reality that Jammu and Kashmir is an inalienable and integral part of India and will remain so," Mehtani added.

She emphasized at the multilateral forum that India's focus is on issues of "today and tomorrow" and not on yesterday's thinking, which "as exemplified by Pakistan's malicious lies, "is a distraction that we do not wish to engage with."