By Iftikhar Ali
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 4 (APP):On the eve of India’s 5th August 2019 actions to strip the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) of its special status and to place the territory under a military lockdown, the United Nations on Tuesday reiterated its concern over the deteriorating situation in the disputed state.
“The positions that we articulated at the time still stand and of the concerns that we had about this remain the same as we have previously stated,” Farhan Haq, UN Secretary General’s Deputy Spokesman, said in the response to a question at the regular news briefing in New York.
The spokesman was asked by APP correspondent for the UN chief’s comments one year after he had underlined that the the world body’s position that the region was governed by the Charter of the United Nations and applicable Security Council resolution that call for the exercise of by the Kashmir people of their right to self-determination.
In his Aug 8, 2019 statement, the secretary-general also called for avoiding steps that could affect the status of Jammu and Kashmir.
When told that the situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir continues to deteriorate as reports speak of continuing violence against civilians, he said the secretary-general remained concerned over the developments. He did not elaborate.
