India hits back at Pakistan

Continuing to hit back hard at Pakistan, India again asserted yesterday that its neighbour is fanning discontent in Kashmir and has no locus standi on commenting about it in international fora.

"Our internal affairs are solely ours to handle, anyone trying to interfere will not change that reality," external affairs ministry Vikas Swarup said yesterday evening, after Pakistan brought up the issue of the ongoing unrest in Kashmir at a high-level United Nations forum.

"The world has a very clear view on which country in our region covets the territory of others and uses terrorism as an instrument of state policy," Swarup said.

Pakistan raised the Kashmir issue at a debate on human rights earlier. Its envoy Maleeha Lodhi called the killing of terrorist Burhan Wani, a commander of the Pakistan-backed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, an "extra-judicial killing". She also described the dead terrorist as a "Kashmiri leader".

Irked at Pakistan's attempt to again internationalize the Kashmir issue, the external affairs ministry also said that India has always been open to dialogue with Pakistan, reports Times of India.

"India has never shied away from dialogue with Pakistan, but talks and terror can't go hand in hand," the MEA spokesperson said.

Earlier in the day, Syed Akbaruddin, India's Permanent Representative at the UN, commented on similar lines at a high-level thematic debate on human rights in the UN General Assembly in New York.

Pakistan had raised the Kashmir issue at the same debate. Earlier this week, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed " shock" over the killing of Wani. Its foreign office in Islamabad also summoned India's high commissioner to expresss it "serious concern'' on the killing of Wani, whom it called a "Kashmiri leader".

Meanwhile, Indian officials said they will go on hunting militants in Kashmir despite widespread protests over the killing of a young separatist commander, as the government bets that force coupled with development will quell rebellion in the restive state, reports Reuters.

The number of militants crossing into Jammu and Kashmir state from Pakistan to launch attacks against India has dropped in the last few years, and home-grown fighters are estimated to number only around 100, according to one security official.