India recently exercised its Right to Reply’ at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to counterattack the misleading narrative put forth by Pakistan. Mijito Vinito, the First Secretary of India Mission to the UN, gave a befitting response to Pakistan and spoke about an array of issues, including terrorism, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), sectarian violence, ethnic cleansing and forced conversions.
At the very onset, Mijito Vinito stated, “The leader of Pakistan called for those who incite hate and violence to be outlawed but as he went on, we were left wondering – Was he referring to himself? This hall heard the incessant rant of someone who had nothing to show for himself, who had no achievements to speak of and no reasonable suggestions to offer to the world. Instead, we saw lies, misinformation, war-mongering and malice spread through this assembly. The words used today at this great assembly by the leader of Pakistan demean the very essence of the United Nations.”
“For a nation that is deeply buried in medievalism, it is understandable that the tenets of modern civilised society such as peace, dialogue and diplomacy are far-fetched.” He then took a jibe at the ‘stellar record’ of Pakistan.
“This is the country that brought genocide to South Asia, 39 years back, when it killed its own people. This is also the country that is shameless enough to not offer a sincere apology for the horrors it perpetrated after so many years. This is the only country that provides pensions for dreaded and listed terrorists out of state funds. This is the same country that has the dubious distinction of hosting the largest number of terrorists, prescribed by the United Nations,” he reiterated.
Pakistan is a safe haven for terrorism, reiterates India
India pointed out to the world how Pakistan has been protecting terrorist groups responsible for creating tension in South Asia. Mijito Vinito emphasised, “The leader we heard today is the same person who referred to terrorist Osama Bin Laden as a ‘martyr’ in his Parliament in July. The same leader who spewed venom today admitted in 2019 in the US that his country still has about 30,000-40,000 terrorists who have been trained in Pakistan and has fought in Afghanistan and in the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the country that systematically cleanses minorities, including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and others through the abuse of blasphemy laws and through forced conversions.”
India exposes sectarian violence in Pakistan
“For someone who professes to be a champion of Islam, this is also a country that has encouraged the killing of fellow Muslims merely because they belong to a different sect or a different region in Pakistan and through sponsoring terrorist attacks against its neighbours. The only grounding glory that this country has to show to the world for the last 70 years is terrorism, ethnic cleansing, majoritarianism, fundamentalism and clandestine nuclear trade,” India’s First Secretary said.
India directs Pakistan to vacate PoK
He added, “Mr President, let me assert here loud and clear. The Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India. The rules and legislation brought in the Union territory are strictly internal affairs of India. The only dispute left in Kashmir relates to that part of Kashmir that is still under illegal occupation of Pakistan. We call upon Pakistan to vacate all those areas that are in illegal occupation of.
India calls upon Pakistan to make course-correction
Towards the end of his intervention, Mijito Vinito had a suggestion for the Islamic Republic. He emphasised, “What should rather be on the agenda of the United Nations is Pakistan’s deep state and its unrelenting political and financial support to terrorist organisations and mercenaries which are a threat to global peace and security. The only way for Pakistan to become a normal country is to observe its moral, financial and material support to terrorism, turn its attention to problems faced by its own population including its minorities and stop using UN platforms to further its nefarious agenda.”
India gives scathing reply to Pakistan
Earlier, First Secretary MEA Vidisha Maitra, while exercising India’s Right to Reply against Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s anti India rant said that Khan’s threat of unleashing nuclear devastation qualifies as brinkmanship and not statesmanship.
She questioned whether Pakistan will acknowledge that it is the only government in the world that provides pension to an individual listed by the UN in the Al-Qaeda and Daesh sanctions list? Last week, Pakistan got UNSC to allow release of monthly pension to 26/11 Mumbai terror accused Hafiz Saeed who is also a global designated terrorist.
Referring to Pakistan government’s move to inviting UN observers to Pakistan to ‘verify’ the resurrection of terror camps, Maitra said that the world must now hold him accountable for that. She questioned whether Pakistan can deny it is home to many UN-designated terrorists. “Can Pakistan PM confirm that it is home to 130 UN designated terrorists and 25 terrorist entities listed by the UN?” she questioned.
