NEW DELHI, JUN 9 : India launched a sharp attack on Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council, accusing Islamabad of carrying out military airstrikes in Afghanistan that have caused significant civilian casualties and denouncing \u201cofficially sponsored misinformation\u201d through Pakistan\u2019s \u2018Fitna al-Hindustan\u2019 directive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking during the UNSC meeting on the \u2018Situation in Afghanistan\u2019 on Monday, India\u2019s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, condemned Pakistan\u2019s actions, accusing it of undermining Afghanistan\u2019s sovereignty and regional stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPakistan’s campaign of military airstrikes against Afghanistan is causing huge civilian casualties and suffering to the Afghan people. Such unconscionable acts of violence are a blatant assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a threat to the region’s peace and stability,\u201d Parvathaneni said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India strongly condemned the strikes, calling them violations of international law, the UN Charter, and the principle of state sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citing data from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Parvathaneni said 372 civilians had been killed and 397 injured in the first three months of the year, with most casualties reported during the holy month of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo faith, no law and no morality can justify such actions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a pointed remark directed at Pakistan, India asserted,”dressing up a massacre as a military operation does not absolve the perpetrator. Killing, maiming and orphaning civilians is not counter terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEspousing high principles of international law and Islamic solidarity while mercilessly carrying out air strikes during the holy month of Ramadan is the perfect example of hypocrisy,\u201d Parvathaneni said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Indian envoy also accused Pakistan of deflecting blame for domestic failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cblaming neighbours for its own failures is an old Pakistani habit. This attempt to hoodwink the world will fail,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India\u2019s Permanent Representative to the UN, Harish Parvathaneni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not normal to tolerate Pak’s continued use of terror as instrument of state policy: India at UNSC<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India also rejected Pakistan\u2019s decision to label groups operating within its borders as \u2018Fitna al Hindustan\u2019, calling it an attempt to institutionalise anti-India rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cComing up with official notifications, directing Pakistan’s Government agencies to start referring to groups inside its own borders as ‘Fitna al Hindustan’ is nothing but officially sponsored misinformation and disinformation dressed in religious terminology,\u201d Parvathaneni said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is an outcome of an organised factory of hate coming from the deep state of Pakistan, which aims to keep its citizens in a state of permanent hostility with India in order to perpetuate their stay in power and control of national resources and distract them from core political and economic problems,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parvathaneni further referred to Pakistan\u2019s 27th Constitutional Amendment, saying, \u201cThe de facto coup by the military through the 27th Constitutional amendment is only its most recent manifestation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India also criticised \u201ctrade and transit terrorism\u201d by Pakistan against Afghanistan, accusing Islamabad of blocking access for Afghan traders in violation of global commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parvathaneni said India, a major destination for Afghan exports, offers tariff-free market access to Afghan goods and has operationalised a dedicated air freight corridor between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that India was supporting Afghan traders through gratis long-term business visas for those \u201csuffering under unprecedented ‘trade and transit terrorism’ inflicted upon them by Pakistan’s denial of passage for trade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe cynical closure of access for this land-locked country is in total violation of UN declarations on Land Locked Developing countries (LLDCs) and a clear weaponisation of their trade and transit vulnerabilities. This blatant Pakistani violation of WTO norms and of the UN Charter and international law should be condemned by the global community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Responding during the session, Pakistan\u2019s Ambassador to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, questioned the UN Secretary-General\u2019s report on Afghanistan, saying it appeared to largely \u201cexternalise\u201d responsibility for the country\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fatalities of terrorists and their supporters as a result of CT (counter-terror) operations are mentioned within the ambit of ‘civilian casualties’, posing serious questions on the credibility of UNAMA’s reporting from Afghanistan and the nature of their engagement with the Taliban,\u201d Ahmad said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Countering Pakistan\u2019s remarks, Parvathaneni said: \u201cWe would like to stress that support for multilateralism and the United Nations is not an a la carte menu.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India also reiterated its firm stance against terrorism, calling for coordinated global efforts to dismantle terror groups operating across borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnly coordinated efforts of the international community can ensure that ISIL and Al Qaida and their affiliates, including the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed and proxies of LeT such as The Resistance Front, along with those who facilitate their operations, no longer indulge in cross-border terrorism,\u201d he said, urging the international community to work together towards this \u201cnoble goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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