Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, brought up the issue of Kashmir during his speech to the UN General Assembly on Saturday, drawing harsh criticism from India.
Invoking its right of reply, India declared that Pakistan desired Indian land and had interfered with elections in Jammu and Kashmir, an essential and unalienable portion of India, by using terrorism.
Indian diplomat Bhavika Mangalanandan stated, “As the world knows, Pakistan has long employed cross-border terrorism as a weapon against its neighbours.” It has targeted markets, pilgrimage routes, Mumbai, our capital city of finance, and our parliament. There are many items in the list. Speaking about violence anyplace in a country like this is the height of hypocrisy.”
Mangalanandan went on to say that discussing political options in a democracy was “extraordinary” for a nation with a history of tampered elections.
At his Friday speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi compared the state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir to that of Palestine, stating that the people there had “struggled for a century for their freedom and right to self-determination.” He urged discussion in line with UN Security Council resolutions and the “wishes of the Kashmiri people,” and he called on India to revoke the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
Along with asserting that New Delhi had turned down Islamabad’s proposal for a reciprocal strategic restraint regime, the prime minister of Pakistan also charged that Indian authorities had threatened to cross the Line of Control (LoC) into what Pakistan
India reacted by ignoring Sharif’s remarks about strategic prudence and restating its position that terror and dialogue are incompatible.
“A deal with terrorism cannot exist. The Indian delegate stated, “Pakistan needs to understand that engaging in cross-border terrorism against India will unavoidably result in consequences.
Citing the atrocities of 1971 and the continued persecution of minorities, India also criticized Pakistan’s human rights record, calling it “ridiculous” for a country like this to talk about intolerance and phobias.
India remarked, “The world can see for itself what Pakistan really is,” citing Pakistan’s prior ties to infamous terrorist Osama bin Laden and its participation in acts of terrorism worldwide.
India called Sharif’s remarks “unacceptable” and “a travesty” and claimed that Pakistan’s attempts to refute the truth with lies will not alter the course of events. “Our stance is unambiguous and requires no repetition,” Mangalanandan continued.
During his roughly 20-minute speech, Sharif charged that India has engaged in a “massive expansion of its military capabilities” against Pakistan. He also voiced alarm about the “subjugation” of Muslims in India and the global rise in Islamophobia, which he attributed to a “Hindu supremacist agenda”.