‘Hypocrisy at its worst’: India slams Pak PM over statement on Kashmir at UNGA

India on Friday strongly criticized Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his comments on Kashmir at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), calling it “hypocrisy at its worst”.

India pointed out that Pakistan, a country with a long history of cross-border terrorism against its neighbors, was lecturing on violence. While expressing India’s right of reply at the ongoing UNGA session, the country’s First Secretary to the UN Bhavika Mangalanandan said, “Pakistan has long weaponized cross-border terrorism against its neighbors… It (Pakistan) has us parliament attacked, our financial capital Mumbai, market places and pilgrim routes. The list is long.”

She continued: ‘For such a country to talk about violence anywhere is hypocrisy at its worst. It is even more extraordinary for a country with a history of rigged elections to talk about political choices, especially in a democracy.” The Indian diplomat described it as a “mockery” that a country led by its military, with a global reputation for terrorism, dared to criticize the world’s largest democracy. She also condemned Pakistan for using terrorism to disrupt elections in Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating that the region is “an inalienable and integral part of India.”

“The truth is that Pakistan covets our territory and has continuously used terrorism to disrupt elections in Jammu and Kashmir, an inalienable and integral part of India. Reference has been made to some proposals of strategic restraint,” she said. “This meeting unfortunately witnessed a travesty this morning. A country led by the military, with a global reputation for terrorism, narcotics trafficking and transnational crime, has had the audacity to attack the world’s largest democracy,” she noted.

Her strong rebuttal came in response to the Pakistani Prime Minister’s call to raise the Kashmir issue in the UNGA. Sharif urged India to reverse the abrogation of Article 370 and demanded that New Delhi engage in dialogue with Islamabad for the “peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue.”

“Let me say in no uncertain terms that Pakistan will respond very decisively to any Indian aggression. To secure a lasting peace, India must therefore reverse the unilateral and illegal measures it has taken since August 5, 2019 and engage in dialogue for the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the wishes of the UN. of the Kashmiri people,” he said.