New York (CNN) As India and Pakistan addressed the world this morning from the podium at the United Nations General Assembly, what was estimated to be thousands of protestors gathered just outside. Enclosed by metal barricades several blocks away from the UN's diplomatic VIP entrance, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs raised signs in support of Kashmir, the disputed region claimed by both countries since 1947.

Narendra Modi spoke first, with a message of "harmony and peace" with emphasis on India's development achievements and multiple calls to fight terrorism. The Indian Prime Minister, who has embraced the UN's focus on climate and environment, also dedicated a large part of his speech to India's environmental sustainability, including a campaign to rid the country of single-use plastic.

"All our endeavors, are centered on 1.3 billion Indians," Modi said. "But the dreams that these efforts are trying to fulfill, are the same dreams that the entire world has, that every country has, and that every society has."

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Climate Action Summit in the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.

He did not mention Kashmir -- a tactic that Syed Akbaruddin, India's permanent representative to the UN, described at a press conference earlier this week as "soaring high" if Pakistan "stoops low" by raising the uncomfortable issue: On August 5, Modi's government stripped autonomy from India-controlled Jammu and Kashmir, sent in tens of thousands of additional troops, and imposed a strict communications blackout and curfew on citizens living there. New Delhi has said that the change would aid in the fight against terrorism, bring economic benefits to the region, and that the lockdown would be gradually lifted.

Modi's Hindu nationalist government has been accused of promoting Hindu concerns to the detriment of Muslims and other minorities in states like Jammu and Kashmir, and in Assam, where the local government recently left nearly 2 million residents off a citizenship list. The closest that Modi got to broaching these sensitive national debates over territory, nationalism and identity on Friday was his quote of an ancient Tamil poem: "We belong to all places, and to everyone." "This sense of belonging beyond border is unique to India," he added.

People pray as they gather during a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 27, 2019 in New York City.

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