Indian envoy to the United Nations (UN) Syed Akbaruddin, inan exclusive conversation with India Today TV, characterized Pakistan's effortsto raise the issue of Kashmir as an "annual itch" which, he said, hasno resonance in the global community.

Reacting to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statementthat he would raise the issue of Kashmir during his address in the UnitedNations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Syed Akbaruddin said, "Weknow how to deal with them. This [Kashmir] is an annual itch of Pakistan."

"It is up to them [Pakistan] to articulate that in anymanner they want. We are confident that the global community would beresponsive to collaborative efforts and not to efforts that seek to underminecooperation among states," Syed Akbaruddin said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpartImran Khan would be addressing the 74th session of the UNGA on September 27.The Indian premier is one of the early speakers and the Pakistani PM isscheduled to speak two speakers after PM Modi.

Imran Khan's address would primarily focus on Kashmir andthe situation in the Valley.

India, however, will later exercise the 'Right to Reply' torespond to Pakistan at the world body. India should give Pakistan a chance toredeem itself but, Syed Akbaruddin said, if Pakistan continues with its K-bogeythen "India will handle it".

"A Right to Reply, by definition, will be response towhat they say. Let's give them the opportunity first... If somebody else triesto disrupt that engagement and veers off track then we know how to handle that.It is upto them. Our goal is to soar high. If others stoop low, we will handlethat in a different manner. Let's first give everybody an opportunity to redeemthemselves," he said.

The UN spokesperson had on Thursday had said thatSecretary-General Antonio Guterres could bring up the issue of Kashmir duringdiscussions in the Assembly.

Reacting to this, Syed Akbaruddin said that India was notworried and the country was ready to engage with one and all to bring clarityto the issue of removal of certain provisions of Article 370 that withdrew the"special status" of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Discussions enable everybody to articulate theirpoints of view. We welcome any discussion where our point of view needs to bearticulated. That is what diplomacy is all about. We don't need to worry toomuch. All engagement is part of diplomacy and we stand ready to engage with anybody,"he said.

Broad-basing the conversation on India's engagements at theUN and on the sidelines of the session, the Indian envoy reminded that this wasPM Narendra Modi's first visit to the US after his huge electoral victory inthe Lok Sabha elections.

"Five years have gone since PM Modi addressed thegeneral assembly. In those five years, India's place in the world hasdramatically changed. Today, we are a nation which is engaged globally with avast array of countries. So, you will find us engaged in a very differentmanner than in the past," he said.

India will host its first India-CARICOM meeting with 14leaders of the Carribean nations for a two-hour session. India will also holdan India-Pacific Islands meet.

"We will have India-Pacific island nations that play avery important role in our foreign policy orientation. What we are trying to dois go beyond normal bilaterals and leverage our role in the UN to engage with avast array of countries which has never been done before," Akbaruddinsaid.

While PM Modi has 20 bilateral meetings and multipleplurilateral engagements, the one bilateral that everybody would be keenly watchingis the Modi-Trump meet.

Akbaruddin said, "It is normal during such multilateralgatherings to leverage opportunities for meetings. So Prime Minister andPresident Trump are scheduled to meet in the forenoon of September 24. Theoutcome of that, we will share with you."