On a recent UN day, India engaged in a diplomatic confrontation with Pakistan, pressing its neighbour to end cross-border terrorism, dismantle terror infrastructure on its own turf, and depart from Indian regions now under its unlawful possession.
This dispute arose after Pakistan's temporary prime minister, Anwar ul Haq Kakar, raised the thorny Kashmir issue during his presentation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the 78th session in New York.
In a clear exercise of its right to respond to Pakistan's UNGA speech, India launched a vehement rebuttal against Islamabad for its frequent exploitation of international venues to spread anti-Indian propaganda.
India emphasised Jammu and Kashmir's intrinsic status within its sovereign territory, claiming that Pakistan had no valid standing to comment on the topic.
Petal Gahlot, the First Secretary at the UN for the UNGA's second committee, outlined India's position, criticising Pakistan as a regular misuse of public platforms, utilising them to promote false and vicious propaganda against India.
She emphasised that UN member states and other multilateral organisations are aware of Pakistan's tactics, which are intended to shift attention away from its own abysmal human rights record.
"We reiterate that the Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir are an integral part of India," Gahlot said. The UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are completely internal to India. Pakistan has no right to remark on our personal affairs."
Gahlot proposed three critical initiatives Pakistan must do to promote peace in South Asia. First and foremost, it must promptly halt cross-border terrorism and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure.
Second, Pakistan must withdraw from Indian regions that it currently occupies illegally and coercively. Third, it must put an end to the egregious and ongoing human rights crimes perpetrated against minority communities within its boundaries.
In response to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Gahlot criticised Pakistan's proclivity for technical manoeuvring rather than taking genuine and verifiable action against the terrorists.
She emphasised Pakistan's poor human rights record, especially on attacks on minority communities. Gahlot cited a particularly upsetting episode in August 2023, when 19 churches and 89 Christian homes were burned down in Jaranwala, Pakistan's Faisalabad District.
Gahlot also shed light on the precarious status of women from minority communities in Pakistan, such as Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians.
According to a recent report from Pakistan's Human Rights Commission, an estimated 1,000 women from minority cultures are abducted, forced, converted, and married in Pakistan each year.
She also emphasised Pakistan's position as a safe haven and backer of several globally sanctioned terrorist groups and individuals around the world.
