India will respond if Sharif mentions Kashmir at UN

NEW YORK: India today said that it will respond if Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raises the Kashmir issue in his address at the UN General Assembly.

"When a statement comes from him (on Kashmir), then we will reply," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said here when asked whether India is taking note and will respond if Sharif raises the Kashmir issue at the UNGA.

Earlier, a senior Pakistani diplomat in Islamabad said Sharif is conscious about the importance of Kashmir and would raise the issue at the UNGA.

The diplomat said the Pakistan Prime Minister, however, would offer several steps to de-escalate the tension and establish peace along the Line of Control (LoC).

Sharif is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 30.

Last year too, Sharif had raked up Kashmir issue at the UN, evoking strong reaction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who protested to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, saying raising bilateral issues on such fora was not the way to resolve them.