Pakistan offers safe haven to terrorists: India slams Islamabad at UNGA
2 min read . Updated: 24 Feb 2023, 07:09 AM IST
PremiumThe remark at UNGA follows MEA S Jaishankar's emphasis that terrorism is the central disagreement between India and Pakistan.
India used its Right of Reply (RoR) against Pakistan on February 23 at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and called Pakistan a nation with a history of offering safe haven to terrorists. Indian Counselor Pratik Mathur suggested that the Pakistani delegation made reference to the several instances in which India had used its “Right of Reply".
Mathur's remark follows S Jaishankar's emphasis that terrorism is the central disagreement between India and Pakistan that cannot be ignored. A country whose "basic industry" is terrorism cannot become prosperous, the Minister of External Affairs (MEA) added.
During its 2021–22 UNSC term, India made the designation of terrorists with ties to Pakistan a primary priority. India proposed five names for designation under 1267 in 2022: Abdul Rehman Makki (LeT), Abdul Rauf Asghar (JeM), Sajid Mir (LeT), Shahid Mahmood (LeT), and Talha Saeed (LeT).
All 14 members of the Council agreed to list each of these five names, however China first requested that they be placed on technical hold. According to the US State Department, Makki was found guilty of financing terrorism on one count in 2020 and received a prison sentence.
According to Mathur, after two days of thorough thought, every UN member present has decided that the path of peace can be the only means of resolving disagreement and dissent. He called Pakistan's uncalled-for provocation "regrettable",
"I am taking the floor to say that India chooses this time not to respond to Pakistan's mischievous provocations. Our advice to the delegate of Pakistan is to refer to the numerous RoRs that we have exercised in the past," Mathur said.
In a recent video that Pakistani YouTuber Sana Amjad shared, a Pakistani man expressed his dissatisfaction with the current situation in his nation and said that he wished Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were in charge instead of Shehbaz Sharif. The man said that Pakistan would be a better place to live in if Modi were in control. He bemoaned the failure of Pakistanis to establish Islam in their nation and the fact that they are unable to feed their children at night.
(With ANI inputs)