India will soar high if Pakistan raises Kashmir issue at UN: Syed Akbaruddin

At a press conference here on Thursday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, was asked whether he expected the Kashmir issue to come up during the UN General Assembly session, and, if so, how will India tackle it.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York on September 27.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to speak on the same day.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said Prime Minister Khan will "forcefully" raise the issue before the international community during his address to the UNGA.

"We are confident that we will soar. We have given you examples of how we will not stoop. We will soar when they stoop low," Akbaruddin said.

The Indian envoy also laid out the focus and priorities of Prime Minister Modi when he arrives for the 74th UN General Assembly session.

He said a plethora of plurilateral and bilateral engagements and meetings of the Prime Minister outline the examples of how India will soar higher.

"What they want to do is their call. We've seen them mainstream terrorism in the past. And what you're now telling me is they may want to mainstream hate speech.

It's their call, if they want to do that. Poison pens don't work for too long," he said.

Tension between India and Pakistan escalated after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5. Reacting to India's move on Kashmir, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner.