India responds to Pakistan at UNGA, saying: ‘Pakistan must realize that cross-border terrorism will have consequences’

First Secretary of India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Bhavika Mangalanandan, delivers India’s Right of Reply at the UNGA on September 27, 2024. Photo: X/@IndiaUNNewYork

In a strong response, India criticized Pakistan at the UN General Assembly, saying its “fingerprints” cover terrorist incidents around the world and that the country must realize that cross-border terrorism against India “will inevitably have consequences”.

India on Friday (September 27, 2024) exercised its right of reply in the UN General Assembly in response to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raising the Jammu and Kashmir issue in his speech during the general debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

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“This House unfortunately witnessed a travesty this morning. A country ruled 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,” said Bhavika Mangalanandan, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, which declared India’s right of reply.

She alleged that Pakistan, as the world knows, has long been using cross-border terrorism as a weapon against its neighbors.

“It has attacked our parliament, our financial capital Mumbai, marketplaces and pilgrimage routes,” she said, referring to the attack on India’s parliament in 2001 and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks carried out by Pakistan-based terror groups.

“The list is long. For such a country to talk about violence anywhere is hypocrisy at its worst,” Ms Mangalanandan said.

In his speech, Mr Sharif, as expected, raised the Kashmir issue and said that to “secure lasting peace”, India must reverse the abrogation of Article 370 and engage in dialogue for a “peaceful” resolution of the issue.

He said India has rejected Pakistan’s proposals for a mutual “Strategic Restraint Regime”.

Responding to this reference “to some proposition of strategic restraint,” India asserted that “no deal can be made with terrorism. In fact, Pakistan should realize that cross-border terrorism against India will inevitably have consequences.” Stating that Pakistan has long hosted Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Ms. Mangalanandan said Pakistan “has fingerprints on so many terrorist incidents around the world, whose policies raise the fear of many societies to make it their home.” It is no surprise that the Prime Minister would speak like this in this hallowed hall. Yet we must make it clear how unacceptable his words are to all of us. We know that Pakistan will try to refute the truth with more lies. Repetition will not change our position is clear and needs no repetition,” she said.

India emphasized that it is even more exceptional for a country with a history of rigged elections to talk about political choices, even in a democracy. “The real truth is that Pakistan covets our territory and has in fact continuously used terrorism to disrupt elections in Jammu and Kashmir, an inalienable and integral part of India,” she said.

She said it is ridiculous that a nation that committed genocide in 1971 and that even now ruthlessly persecutes its minorities “dares to talk about bigotry and phobias. The world can see with its own eyes what Pakistan really is.” A Pakistani diplomat then responded to Ms Mangalanandan with a right of reply. Describing India’s claims as “baseless and misleading”, the Pakistani diplomat said the United Nations Security Council, through numerous resolutions, has unequivocally called for a free, impartial plebiscite to empower the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination. .