Mumtaz Hussain
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has strongly rebutted remarks made by the Indian representative during the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on the Rule of Law, accusing India of deflecting attention from its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
Exercising its Right of Reply, Pakistan’s First Secretary Zulifqar Ali rejected India’s claims as baseless and reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir had never been, and will never be, a part of India. He said the territory remains disputed under United Nations Security Council resolutions and recalled that India itself had brought the Kashmir issue to the United Nations, committing to a UN-supervised plebiscite which it has yet to implement.
The Pakistani diplomat accused India of violating international law and undermining the sanctity of the Security Council by refusing to honour its obligations. He said India’s assertions on rule of law and justice lacked credibility in light of state-sanctioned actions against minorities and destabilising activities in the region.
Referring to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, the envoy described the move as an attempt to harm its water security and warned that it would respond with resolve. He also criticised India’s domestic policies, saying majoritarianism and discrimination against minorities had eroded its democratic claims.
The Pakistani diplomat urged India to abandon its belligerence, implement UN resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, end human rights violations in the disputed territory, and pursue dialogue and diplomacy to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia.
