Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: India on Saturday hit back at Pakistan Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif over his United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) address where he accused New Delhi of “escalating tensions” in Kashmir.
Bhavika Mangalanandan, first secretary at India’s permanent mission to the UN, accused Pakistan of using cross-border terrorism as a key strategy against India, citing numerous incidents, including the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001 and the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
“The list is long,” Mangalanandan said in retort to Islamabad’s unfounded assertions.
She further said that there can be “no compact with terrorism” and that Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism against India will “inevitably invite consequences”.
“We are talking about a nation that for long hosted Osama bin Laden. A country whose fingerprints are on so many terrorist incidents across the world, whose policies attract the dregs of many societies to make it their home,” Mangalanandan said during India’s right of reply.
India’s sharp rebuttal followed Sharif’s remarks, calling India to reverse its “unilateral and illegal” actions in Jammu and Kashmir, referring to the 2019 revocation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir.
“India spurned Pakistan’s proposals for a mutual strategic restraint to regime. Its leadership has often threatened to cross the line of control and take over Azad Kashmir,” Shehbaz Sharif claimed.
Mangalanandan in her response called Pakistan a “country run by the military” with a “global reputation for terrorism, narcotics, and transnational crime.”
She expressed disbelief that Pakistan, a nation known for these issues, would attack India, the world’s largest democracy, in such a forum.
“It is even more extraordinary for a country with a history of rigged elections to talk about political choices in a democracy,” Mangalanandan said.
The Indian diplomat said that Jammu and Kashmir is an “inalienable and integral part of India” and that Pakistan had long sought to disrupt peace and elections in the region through violent means. She condemned Pakistan’s actions, stating, “For such a country to speak about violence anywhere is hypocrisy at its worst.”
Mangalanandan also responded to Pakistan’s proposal for a mutual strategic restraint regime, declaring that “there can be no compact with terrorism.” She emphasised that Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism against India would inevitably have consequences.
“It is ridiculous that a nation that committed genocide in 1971 and which persecutes its minorities relentlessly even now, dare speak about intolerances and phobias. The world can see for itself what Pakistan really is. Mister president, we are talking about a nation that for long hosted Osama bin Laden,” she said.
