India criticised Pakistan for misusing United Nations forums to push its “divisive agenda”, after Pakistan’s representative raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in the UN General Assembly. Eldos Mathew Punnoose, Counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said on Thursday (January 17, 2026) that the right to self determination should not be twisted to promote secession in democratic and diverse countries.
After Pakistan’s envoy raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in the General Assembly once again, Punnoose shared that at a time when member states should look beyond narrow interests, Pakistan continues to misuse every UN platform to advance its divisive agenda.
The Counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN continued to add that Islamabad has once again made an inappropriate reference to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India. “This forum is no exception either,” Punnoose stated.
While delivering India’s national statement during the UN General Assembly debate on the ‘Report of the Secretary General on the work of the Organisation’, the Counsellor stressed that although the right to self determination is a key principle in the UN Charter, it should not be exploited to encourage the break up of democratic and plural societies
Pakistan, which is used to making such remarks, should refrain from spreading baseless claims and presenting a picture that is far removed from reality, the Indian Counsellor underlined.
India’s sharp response came after Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, mentioned Jammu and Kashmir during his speech at the General Assembly. Pakistan repeatedly raises the Kashmir issue at the UN, but it fails to gain support from the wider international community.
Punnoose also highlighted that countries of the Global South face a distinct set of development challenges ranging from development financing to climate justice. He said India has consistently worked to bring these issues to the forefront across all UN platforms, and that strong and focused follow up action is needed.
Going ahead, he noted, it is important to turn the concerns of the Global South into concrete and practical steps.