I have seen many theatrics at the UN, says India's envoy Syed Akbaruddin on Imran Khan pledge to take up Kashmir at UNGA

“I have seen many theatrics in the General Assembly, many people use their 30 minutes of global attention in the ways they want, people remember them for what they are- anachronisms who do not conform to global norm,” he told ANI on Saturday ahead of the UN General Assembly session.

“If a country and a leader want to do that, they are free to do that. I have heard rants, I have heard abuses from different leaders and yet who remembers them? They are footnotes in the path of history,” he told the news agency.

Last month after India abrogated Article 370 in Kashmir and Pakistan took it to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin in a media stakeout pulverised Pakistan on the issue.

He said there was an effort to masquerade national statements by two countries [read Pakistan and China] as the will of international community in respect to the removal of Article 370 in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, but the national position of India remains that the move in Kashmir is an internal issue with no external ramifications.

Soon after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) closed door meeting on Kashmir, Akbaruddin told a news conference at the UN, "Our national position was and remains that the matters related to Article 370 are entirely an internal matter of India. These have no external ramifications."

He said the recent decisions by the Indian government are to promote good governance.

"We are gratified that the Security Council in its closed consultations appreciated these efforts, acknowledged them and indicated that this is the direction in which they would like the international committee to move," he said.

He said India's position vis-a-vis talks with Pakistan on Kashmir is clear: Stop terror to start talks.