Qureshi told the world body on Tuesday that India’s “illegal military occupation” of Jammu and Kashmir raises the "spectre of genocide". He even equated the situation in Kashmir with “Rwanda, Srebrenica, the Rohingya and the pogrom of Gujarat”.
But what angered Pakistanis and amused Indians was the foreign minister referring to Kashmir as an “Indian state”, with a storm subsequently being unleashed on social media.
“If the life has returned to normalcy (in Jammu and Kashmir, then I say, why don’t they (India) allow you, the international media, why don’t they allow international organisations, NGOs, civil society organizations to go into the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and see for themselves of the realities”, Qureshi told media persons outside UNHCR’s office.
Very True, In the entire conference FMPK Mr. Shah Mehmood Qureshi continuously mentioned the "Indian Occupied J&K" and these ignorant Modi media-mania freaks get excited and celebrate their stupidity later on make a complete laughing stock of themselves.
— tSaleem Durrani (@saleemdurrani) September 10, 2019
#indiafakenews
— Munawwarkhan (@munawwarkhan581) September 10, 2019
Indin media fake reporting about Shah mehmood qureshi addressed today in UNO. pic.twitter.com/KHUOuDIkv2
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi mentions Kashmir as “Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir” in Geneva.
— Ansar Burney (@AnsarBurney) September 10, 2019
Indian social media regulars have gone hammer and tongs over the remark, claiming that it was an admission of reality.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi mentioned Kashmir as “Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir” in Geneva.
— Ibn Sina (@Ibne_Sena) September 10, 2019
Finally Truth prevails! Jai Ho ✌️pic.twitter.com/1OPLnT4qye
Perhaps revealing his inner conscience, #Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood #Qureshi on September 10 admitted that #JammuandKashmir is an "Indian state".
— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) September 10, 2019
Photo: IANS pic.twitter.com/Lo52ORbtqL
MASSIVE BREAKING !!! 😝
— Mayukh Ranjan Ghosh (@mayukhrghosh) September 10, 2019
Pak Foreign Minister @SMQureshiPTI calls Kashmir "Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir". Honest Man! Finally Pakistan admits that #KashmirPartOfIndia
Thank You Sigmund Freud! 🤭🤭🤭🤭#UNHRC #Pakistan @ImranKhanPTI @fawadchaudhry @omar_quraishi @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/C0Y8T439fB
Pakistan accepts #JammuAndKashmir as an integral part of India; Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi mentions Kashmir as 'Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir' in Geneva pic.twitter.com/MHgj84VhME
— Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) September 10, 2019
Breaking: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi accepted Jammu & #Kashmir as Indian state. Watch his media talk in #Geneva today pic.twitter.com/wL6Swvnifc
— Mustafa Azizabadi (@azizabadi) September 10, 2019
#shahmehmoodqureshi you might want to think of the fact that the citizens of POK are looking forward for India to claim that territory again. We know you're scared and aaawww. You guys are hilarious https://t.co/ndGWXyR2uD
— Ishank Chhibber (@bakshi_ishank) September 10, 2019
Tensions between India and Pakistan grew after New Delhi stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status in early August. India has also divided the state into two federally administered territories.
Peeved at the decision, Pakistan mounted a diplomatic offensive against India to internationalise the Kashmir issue, besides downsizing its own mission in New Delhi, suspending all communications and trade with its eastern neighbour.
Pakistan claims that it is a stakeholder in the Kashmir issue and that India’s decision was unacceptable to it. New Delhi, however, gave a short shrift and said that it was an internal issue of India.
Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the two countries since they gained freedom from British colonial rule in 1947. Both govern it in parts, but claim the territory in full.
