China says situation in Indian occupied Kashmir 'very tense, dangerous'

NEW YORK: China's ambassador to the United Nations on Friday said members of the Security Council have expressed serious concern over Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where the situation is "already very tense and very dangerous."

China's ambassador Zhang Jun was speaking to reporters after the UNSC met behind closed doors to discuss the Indian government's recent decision to revoke the special status of occupied Kashmir—the first time the council had taken up the issue of in Indian occupied Kashmir in more than 50 years.

"The Security Council has just held an informal consultation and listened very carefully to the briefings and reports from the secretariat including the briefing from the military observer group on the ground that helped us understand the situation better. The Secretary-General also issued a statement a few days ago," said Zhang.

"Members have expressed that there are serious concerns concerning the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. They are also concerned about the human rights situation there and it is the general view of the members that parties concerned should refrain from taking any unilateral action which might further aggravate tensions."

"China holds the view that the issue of Jammu Kashmir is an issue left from history between India and Pakistan. According to UNSC resolutions, the status of Kashmir is undecided and it is an internationally recognized dispute. The Kashmir issue should be resolved properly through peaceful means in accordance with the UN charter, the relevant SC resolutions and bilateral agreements. This represents the international community's consensus," said China's ambassador to the UN.

"It is obvious that the constitutional amendment by India has changed the status quo in Kashmir, causing tension in the region. China is deeply concerned about the current situation and opposes any unilateral action that complicates the situation," he added.

Voice of Kashmiris heard today: Maleeha Lodhi

Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi welcomed the UNSC meeting and said the country was "grateful to China for calling this meeting".

"The voice of the Kashmiri people have been heard today. The fact that this meeting took place is testimony to the fact that this is an internationally recognised dispute. This meeting has reaffirmed the validity of the UNSC resolutions on the status of Jammu and Kashmir," she said, speaking to reporters after the meeting.

"I think this meeting nullifies that Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter for India.

She said the Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had conveyed that this was "the first step that we (Pakistan) have taken on behalf of the people of Jammu and Kashmir…the first but not the last step".