India Snubs Pakistan At UN, Calls It 'Major Source Of Global Terrorism'

Geneva: Tensions between India and Pakistan are on the rise with evidence visible in the spate of cross-border firing exchanged between the countries to most recently trading charges of harassment of foreign office staff in their respective countries. In the latest salvo, the India government on Wednesday told the United Nations that Pakistan is a ‘major source of terrorism’ all over the world.

Exercising its second right of reply (RoR) to a Pakistani statement, India said, "It is most regrettable that Pakistan has yet again chosen to consume the Council's precious time for making claims and allegations against India when Pakistan's own deplorable record on human rights and its dubious history as a major source of terrorism in our region and beyond is already widely known."

India highlighted the atrocities carried out by the Pakistani establishment and its military arm on the innocent civilians of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh, "Where people are routinely abducted and unlawfully killed. More than a million people remain displaced as a result of the current and past armed conflicts in the northwest of Pakistan." "Women and girls, especially from minority communities, are abducted and forcibly married. The minorities are persecuted, including through notorious blasphemy laws," it added.

India further highlighted Pakistan’s continued support to  cross-border terrorism to destabilize the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi accused Islamabad of using terrorism to mask its territorial ambitions to Jammu and Kashmir. "(Pakistan’s) Use of terrorism as a state policy (continues) under the guise of concern for human rights. Pakistan has continued to support cross-border terrorism in India. We await credible action by the Government of Pakistan to bring all those involved in the 2008 Mumbai attack and the 2016 Pathankot and Uri attacks - to justice," it said.

India highlighted Pakistan’s track record on a global scale of shielding terror-group heads like Al Qaeda’s Osama Bin Laden and Taliban founder and former leader Mullah Omar.

The Indian representative asked, “Is it not woefully farcical that the state which protected Osama Bin Laden and sheltered Mullah Omar should make the pretence of being a victim?"

It added, "In gross violation of UN Security Council resolution 1267, the UN designated terrorists like Hafiz Mohammed Saeed are freely operating with State support, and the UN designated entities are being politically mainstreamed in Pakistan. Do we all need lessons on democracy and human rights from a country with such a track record, a country whose own situation is charitably described as a failed state?"

India also rejected attempts of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to raise the Kashmir issue at the United Nations, stating that it has no locus standi to comment on India's internal affairs.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 15, 2018 12:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).