Pakistan responds to India at UNSC debate, says it stands exposed by terrorism and disregard for international law

Pakistan has responded to claims by India during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying that the neighbouring country stands exposed by “terrorism, occupation, aggression, repression and disregard for international law”.

The development came during a UNSC debate on the protection of civilians. During the debate, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Harish Parvathaneni, accused Pakistan of ignoring international humanitarian obligations, targeting civilians and a “long-tainted record of genocidal acts”, Times of India reports. He also reiterated the Afghan Taliban’s claims of targeting a hospital in Kabul earlier this year.

The statement by India came after Pakistan earlier highlighted the plight of the people of occupied Kashmir.

In response to the Indian envoy’s remarks, Pakistan’s representative Saima Saleem said, “India once again came to this council wearing the mask of a victim — but the world can see the face behind that mask.

“It is the face of a state that exports terrorism abroad, occupies people by force, persecutes minorities at home, weaponises water, commits aggression in the region, and then tries to lecture others on the protection of civilians,” she said.

Saleem said that India’s state-sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan was not abstract and had a human cost.

“Its terrorist proxies — including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, Balochistan Liberation Army and Majeed Brigade have killed thousands of civilians, including women and children in our mosques, markets, schools and streets, through networks financed, facilitated and operated from Afghan soil,” she said.

Commenting on Afghanistan, she said that Pakistan carried out “precise, deliberate and professional counter-terrorism operations against terrorist hideouts, training camps, ammunition storage sites, and support networks used to plan and launch attacks against Pakistani civilians, security forces and infrastructure”.

“These operations were directed solely against terrorists and their infrastructure, not against the brotherly people of Afghanistan or civilian facilities. Allegations advanced by the Taliban regime and echoed by their Indian patrons are part of a familiar disinformation campaign to hide their crimes against innocent civilians in Pakistan,” she said.

“We can sense India’s disappointment, as its investments in the use of Afghan terrorist franchise against Pakistan are going to waste due to our effective counter-terrorism operations,” Saleem said.

She went on to say that India could neither conceal nor deny its occupation of Kashmir. She said that civilians were killed, detained, dispossessed and silenced, while an entire people were denied their right to self-determination.

She further said that India’s treatment of its minorities should “alarm the conscience of the world”, adding that “Islamophobia has been normalised as policy, hate speech rewarded in politics, mob violence met with impunity, and discrimination turned into a daily reality for Muslims and other minorities”.

Saleem also highlighted India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, saying this pointed to its disregard for international law.

“A state that threatens the water, food security and livelihoods of millions of Pakistanis cannot certainly speak of civilian protection,” she said.

“Pakistan stands for peace, dialogue, peaceful settlement of disputes and adherence to international law. India stands exposed by terrorism, occupation, aggression, repression and disregard for international law,” she said.

“Pakistan remains a peace-loving and international law-abiding nation that seeks harmonious relations with all countries in its neighbourhood and beyond - based on mutual respect and sovereign equality, addressing all disputes in a peaceful manner in accordance with the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions,” she concluded.