Syed Akbaruddin, New Delhi’s permanent representative at the United Nations, said on Thursday that India will soar high if Pakistan “stoops low” by raking up the Kashmir dispute at the United Nations General Assembly session next week, PTI reported.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he will raise the Kashmir matter at the General Assembly session in New York City on September 27. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to address the session on the same day.

Addressing a press conference, Akbaruddin said it was up to each country to determine its own trajectory on how to approach global platforms. “There may be some who stoop low,” he said. “Our response to them is we soar high. They may stoop low, we soar high.”

“We are confident that we will soar,” he added. “We have given you examples of how we will not stoop. We will soar when they stoop low.”

“What they [Pakistan] want to do is their call,” Akbaruddin said, responding to a question. “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.”

The tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated since India’s decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status on August 5. Pakistan, which claims Kashmir and has fought three wars with India over the region, responded by downgrading diplomatic ties and suspending bilateral trade. It has raised the matter at the United Nations Security Council, and threatened to take it to the UN Human Rights Council and the International Court of Justice as well.

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