At Pakistan Foreign Secetary news conference in New York, Indian journalist asked to leave

An Indian television journalist was reportedly asked to leave a news briefing of Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry in New York on Monday, NDTV reported.

Someone at the press conference in Roosevelt Hotel is reported to have said, “Iss Indian ko nikalo [remove this Indian].” Further, no other Indian journalist was allowed to attend the briefing on the sidelines of the UNGA, the news channel reported.

The incident is the latest of a series of events signifying deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of Sunday’s attack on the army base camp in Indian-occupied Kashmir which claimed the lives of 18 soldiers.

India believes its nuclear-armed neighbour is responsible for orchestrating the attack and claims it has found evidence linking the attack to Pakistan Army. Indian Army officials said, “We have uncovered GPS trackers that show the attackers’ starting points in Pakistan, and arms marked with the insignia of the Pakistan Army.”

Furthermore, India has also decided to diplomatically isolate Pakistan as an immediate measure following the attack on Uri military base in Indian Kashmir. India’s civil and military leaders squarely blame a Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) for the attack.

India has long accused Pakistan of supporting attacks in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rules only in part. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently raised the stakes by expressing support for separatists within Pakistan.

Nawaz to consult Kashmiri leaders before UNGA moot

Pakistan denies any role in cross-border terrorism and has called on the United Nations and the international community to investigate atrocities it alleges have been committed by the security forces in Indian-ruled Kashmir. Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have been on edge since a New-Year attack on an Indian air force base in Punjab, near the border with Pakistan, that killed seven uniformed men.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two gained independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full.

Indian-held Kashmir has been in the grip of widespread protests against Indian rule for more than two months, sparked by the killing of a popular rebel leader in a gun battle with soldiers on July 8. At least 87 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the deadly protests and clashes, the worst violence to hit the region since 2010.

Several rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers – currently numbering around 500,000 – deployed in the territory, demanding independence for the region or its merger with Pakistan. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.