New York: India came down heavily on Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly reiterating that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. India’s First Secretary Sneha Dubey, addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday said, "This includes areas that are under illegal occupation of Pakistan. We call upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation."
India slammed Imran Khan in its Right of Reply in response to Pakistan Prime Prime Minister's references to Kashmir in his United Nations General Assembly virtual speech and stated that Islamabad has an established history of actively supporting terrorists.
Dubey said, "Regrettably, this is not the first time the leader of Pakistan has misused platforms provided by the UN to propagate false and malicious propaganda against my country, and seeking in vain to divert the world's attention from the sad state of his country where terrorists enjoy free pass while the lives of ordinary people, especially those belonging to the minority communities, are turned upside down."
"Member States are aware that Pakistan has an established history and policy of harbouring, aiding and actively supporting terrorists. This is a country that has been globally recognized as one openly supporting, training, financing and arming terrorists as a matter of State policy. It holds the ignoble record of hosting the largest number of terrorists proscribed by the UN Security Council," added Dubey.
She slammed Pakistan for bringing up the internal matter of India.
"We exercise our Right of Reply to one more attempt by the leader of Pakistan to tarnish the image of this august forum by bringing in matters internal to my country, and going so far as to spew falsehoods on the world stage," she said.
Khan had addressed the United Nations General Assembly virtually today where he raked up the Kashmir issue during his address.
Asserting that Pakistan desires peace with India, Khan, however, said sustainable peace in South Asia is contingent upon the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
"The onus remains on India to create a conducive environment for meaningful and result-oriented engagement with Pakistan," Khan's statement read.
India's secretary Dubey talking about the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks said, "We marked the solemn occasion of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks a few days back. The world has not forgotten that the mastermind behind that dastardly event, Osama Bin Laden, got shelter in Pakistan. Even today, Pakistan leadership glorify him as a martyr."
Dubey further said, "Regrettably, even today we heard the leader of Pakistan trying to justify acts of terror. Such defence of terrorism is unacceptable in the modern world."
Regarding the Pakistani rhetoric of calling themselves as the "victim of terrorism", she said, "This is the country which is an arsonist disguising itself as a fire-fighter. Pakistan nurtures terrorists in their backyard in the hope that they will only harm their neighbours. Our region, and in fact the entire world, has suffered because of their policies. On the other hand, they are trying to cover up sectarian violence in their country as acts of terror."
She also referred to the 1971 genocide of Bangladesh. She said, "This is also the country that still holds the despicable record in our region of having executed a religious and cultural genocide against the people of what is now Bangladesh. As we mark the 50th anniversary this year of that horrid event in history, there is not even an acknowledgement, much less accountability."
India also slammed Pakistan for suppressing its minority communities. "Today, the minorities in Pakistan - the Sikhs, Hindus, Christians - live in constant fear and state-sponsored suppression of their rights. This is a regime where anti-Semitism is normalized by its leadership and even justified," added the First Secretary.
"Dissenting voices are muzzled daily and enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings are well documented," she added.
Drawing a parallel between India and Pakistan, she said that India is a pluralistic democracy with a substantial population of minorities who have gone on to hold the highest offices in the country including as President, Prime Minister, Chief Justices and Chiefs of the Army Staff.
She also said that, unlike Pakistan, India is a country with free media and an independent judiciary that keeps a watch and protects our Constitution.
"Pluralism is a concept which is very difficult to understand for Pakistan which constitutionally prohibits its minorities from aspiring for high offices of the State. The least they could do is introspect before exposing themselves to ridicule on the world stage," added Dubey.
She further reiterated that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India.
"This includes the areas that are under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. We call upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation," said Dubey.
She also said that India desires normal relations with all our neighbours, including Pakistan.
"However, it is for Pakistan to work sincerely towards creating a conducive atmosphere, including by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible actions to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross border terrorism against India in any manner," added Dubey. (With agencies inputs)
