India has issued a sharp rebuke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he referenced Jammu and Kashmir during his speech at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The Ministry of External Affairs, through spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, described the remarks as unwarranted and emphasised that Kashmir is an internal matter concerning India's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Jaiswal stated categorically that no external party has any locus standi on the issue, underlining New Delhi's consistent position that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.

Erdogan, in his address, called for all South Asian disputes, including Kashmir, to be resolved through dialogue within the framework of the UN Charter and relevant resolutions.

His comments come against the backdrop of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7 by Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which commits the three nations to mutual defence in the event of an armed attack on any one of them.

The trilateral pact, finalised after nearly a year of negotiations, was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Mecca.

While the agreement strengthens collective deterrence, it stops short of specifying exact military obligations, leaving room for interpretation on how each country would respond in a crisis.

To institutionalise cooperation, the three nations announced on August 31 the creation of a Secretariat based in Saudi Arabia, to be led initially by a Pakistani Secretary General for three years.

The pact also envisions enhanced defence industry collaboration, joint technology development and production, aiming to bolster the military capabilities and operational cohesion of the three armed forces.

India, meanwhile, reaffirmed that Jammu and Kashmir remains an inalienable part of its territory and invoked the 1972 Shimla Agreement, under which India and Pakistan committed to resolving all bilateral issues peacefully and without third-party mediation.

Indian officials also stressed that dialogue cannot proceed alongside terrorism, citing a history of cross-border attacks—including Kargil, the 26/11 Mumbai strikes, Pathankot, Pulwama and Pahalgam—as evidence that Pakistan must first dismantle terrorist infrastructure before meaningful talks can resume.

ANI