India hits back at Pakistan in UNGA, says Pakistan 'breeding, sponsoring terror'

In a strong rebuttal of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s anti-India speech raking up LoC violations and Kashmir issue, at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), India asserted that Islamabad is a victim of its own policies of breeding and sponsoring terrorism.

Pakistan has “once again chosen to misuse” the floor of the world body to “distort reality and portray a false picture of the challenges in our region”.

Exercising India’s Right of Reply during the General Debate of the 70th session of UN General Assembly, Abhishek Singh India’s First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, responded: “It is regrettable that the delegation of Pakistan has once again chosen to misuse the High Level Segment of the UN General Assembly Session to distort reality and portray a false picture of the challenges in our region.”

Stressing on Pakistan’s policies of breeding and sponsoring terrorism, India said that the state regards the use of terrorism as a legitimate instrument of statecraft and its consequences have spread beyond the immediate neighbourhood. “All of us stand prepared to help, if only the creators of this monster wake up to the dangers of what they have done to themselves,” Mr Singh said, adding that Pakistan was seeking to mask its activities as though an outcome of domestic discontent in Jammu and Kashmir carries no credibility with the world.

In his speech Mr Sharif had remarked that Jammu and Kashmir is “under foreign occupation.” India said that the state is under such occupation, “except that the occupier in question is Pakistan. In fact, India’s reservations about the proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor stem from the fact that it passes through Indian territory, illegally occupied by Pakistan for many years”.

On the issue of ceasefire violations along the LoC, India said the world knows that the primary reason for firing is to provide cover to terrorists crossing the border.

“It needs no imagination to figure out which side initiates this exchange,” Mr Singh said. Emphasising on Pakistan’s role in supporting terrorism, India made a tough remark saying when confronted with challenges Pakistan shifts the responsibility to others, reflecting the inability to recognise that this is a home-grown problem.

“It is not uncommon for states, when confronted with serious challenges, to shift responsibility on others. That is the case with Pakistan and terrorism, reflecting the inability to recognise that this is a home-grown problem that has begun to bite the hand that fed it. We agree that terrorism has underlying causes – in this case, poverty of wisdom and ignorance of consequences.”

“The heart of the matter is a state that regards the use of terrorism as a legitimate instrument of statecraft. The world watches with concern as its consequences have spread beyond its immediate neighbourhood. All of us stand prepared to help, if only the creators of this monster wake up to the dangers of what they have done to themselves,” Mr Singh said.

Responding to Pakistan’s comment that the Kashmir dispute has remained unresolved, he said: “Pakistan apparently regrets that the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir remains unresolved and that our dialogue has not progressed. If it is so, this is because Pakistan has chosen to disregard its commitments, whether it was under the 1972 Simla Agreement, the 2004 Joint Declaration forswearing terrorism, or more recently, the understanding between our two prime ministers at Ufa.”

India insists that on each occasion, it is has extended the hand of friendship and remains open even today to engage Pakistan on outstanding issues in an atmosphere free of terrorism and violence.

Given that the relationship between the two countries is at a low, it doesn’t look like there could be any progress made between the two countries in the foreseeable future. The latest allegations and counter-allegations only vindicate the inability to make any progress.

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