Pakistan on Thursday called for the appointment of a special envoy on Kashmir and accused India of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.
And India reacted strongly to the remarks in a speech by Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi at the United Nations, saying it (Pakistan) has turned out to be “terroristan.”
Mr. Abbasi told the UN General Assembly that any military action by India that violated the Line of Control would invite a matching retaliation by Pakistan. “…if India does venture across the LoC, or acts upon its doctrine of “limited” war against Pakistan, it will evoke a strong and matching response,” Pakistan had “faced unremitting hostility” from India, he said.
Exercising the right to reply at the end of the day as per UN procedures, Eenam Gambhir, First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India, contested Pakistan’s allegations against India and its claim that it was a victim of terror.
'Geography synonymous with terror'
“In its short history, Pakistan has become a geography synonymous with terror. The quest for a land of pure has actually produced 'the land of pure terror.' Pakistan is now ‘Terroristan’, with a flourishing industry producing and exporting global terrorism,” she said.
A representative of Pakistan responded to India’s reply, naming National Security Adviser Ajit Doval for allegedly pursuing a strategy of aggression against Pakistan.
Mr. Abbasi said India was trying to “divert the world’s attention from its brutalities,” by ceasefire violations on the LoC. “The Kashmir dispute should be resolved justly, peacefully and expeditiously. As India is unwilling to resume the peace process with Pakistan, we call on the Security Council to fulfill its obligation to secure the implementation of its own resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
“India refuses to implement the unanimous resolutions of the UN Security Council, which mandate a UN supervised plebiscite to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to freely decide their destiny. …Instead, India has deployed nearly 700,000 troops in occupied Kashmir to suppress the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris to exercise their right to self-determination,” he said, calling it the “most intense foreign military occupation in recent history.”
'Pakistan was trying to dupe the rest of the world'
Ms. Gamabhir said Pakistan was trying to dupe the rest of the world on the issue of fighting terrorism. “Having diverted billions of dollars in international military and development aid towards creating a dangerous infrastructure of terror on its own territory, Pakistan is now speaking of the high cost of its terror industry. The polluter, in this case, is paying the price.”
"it is in fact a territory whose contribution to the globalisation of terror is unparalleled. Pakistan can only be counseled to abandon a destructive world view that has caused grief to the entire world. If it could be persuaded to demonstrate any commitment to civilization, order, and to peace, it may still find some acceptance in the comity of nations,” she said.
Mr. Abbasi said Pakistan’s counter-terrorism credentials cannot be questioned. “After 9/11, it was Pakistani efforts that enabled the decimation of the Al-Qaeda. Pakistan’s military campaigns have succeeded in clearing our tribal areas of almost all militant groups. We took the war to the terrorists. We have paid a heavy price. Over 27,000 Pakistanis, including 6,500 military and law enforcement personnel have been martyred by terrorists. 50,000 Pakistani nationals, have been injured, including 15,000 army personnel, many of whom have lost their limbs,” he said.