Exercising its Right of Reply at the General Assembly debate, India on Saturday gave a befitting response to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after he raked up the issue of Kashmir on the UN stage in New York. Speaking at the 79th session of the UNGA, First Secretary of India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Bhavika Mangalanandan, said that a country run by the military, known for its notoriety in spreading terrorism, has had the “audacity to attack the world’s largest democracy.”
India Exposes Pakistan’s Hypocrisy At UN
Why In News
- Exercising its Right of Reply at the General Assembly debate, India on Saturday gave a befitting response to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after he raked up the issue of Kashmir on the UN stage in New York. Speaking at the 79th session of the UNGA, First Secretary of India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Bhavika Mangalanandan, said that a country run by the military, known for its notoriety in spreading terrorism, has had the “audacity to attack the world’s largest democracy.”
What Pakistan PM said
- Sharif, addressing the General Debate of the 79th session of the UNGA on Friday, once again raked up the Kashmir issue, making references to Article 370 and Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani.
- In his over 20-minute speech, he urged India to reverse the abrogation of Article 370 to “secure durable peace.”
- He also asked India to enter into a dialogue for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue in accordance with the UN Security resolutions and the “wishes of the Kashmiri people.”
- Sharif went on to draw a parallel between the Palestinians and the Kashmiris, saying, “Similarly, like the people of Palestine, the people of Jammu and Kashmir too, have struggled for a century for their freedom and right to self-determination.”
- He also alleged Muslims are being targeted in India and claimed that the escalation of Islamophobia is a troubling global development. “The most alarming manifestation of Islamophobia is the Hindu supremacist agenda in India.
- It aggressively seeks the subjugation of 200 million Muslims and the obliteration of India’s Islamic heritage,” he said.
‘Hypocrisy At Its Worst’
- Indian diplomat reminded the UN members that Pakistan has attacked the Indian Parliament, as well as the country’s financial capital, Mumbai, marketplaces, and pilgrimage routes.
- “For such a country to speak about violence anywhere is hypocrisy at its worst. It is even more extraordinary for a country with a history of rigged elections to talk about political choices that, too, in a democracy,” the Indian diplomat said.
- “The real truth is that Pakistan covets our territory, and in fact has continuously used terrorism to disrupt elections in Jammu and Kashmir,” she added.
- India also underscored Pakistan’s continued attempts to disrupt the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir, which is regarded as an integral part of the country and rejected any possibility of dialogue with Pakistan until terrorism emanating from its territory ends.
- In her statement, Mangalanandan highlighted Pakistan’s history of human rights violations and its support for terrorism, noting that it is a country that hosted Osama bin Laden and continues to be involved in global terror incidents.
- “It is ridiculous that a nation that committed genocide in 1960-71, and which persecutes its minorities relentlessly even now, dare speak about intolerances and phobias. The world can see for itself what Pakistan really is,” she remarked, further condemning Pakistan for hosting terrorists like Osama bin Laden.
- India also noted that the world can see through Pakistan’s attempts to spread falsehoods, and New Delhi’s stand on the matter remains clear. India pointed out that Security Council Resolution 47, adopted in 1948, first requires Pakistan to withdraw all its troops and infiltrators from Jammu and Kashmir.
- It was also emphasised that Pakistan has ignored the part of the resolution that prohibits funding or arming terrorists who continue to attack the region.
Conclusion
- India, however, maintains that the path to peace requires an end to terrorism from Pakistan. India reiterated its position, asserting that cross-border terrorism would invite consequences and Pakistan’s attempts to rewrite the narrative through repeated lies would not change the truth.
