UNITED B, Oct 07 (APP):India is conducting terrorist acts in Pakistan and also against the people of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram told a UN panel on Wednesday, while urging the world community to move and bring about an end to those operations.
“Our major challenge has been the continued terrorist attacks, financed, sponsored, and supported by our neighbour — India, including from the territory of Afghanistan,” he said during a debate on measures to combat international terrorism in the General Assembly’s Sixth Committee, which deals with legal matters.
“The world must act to halt Indian terrorism,” Ambassador Akram added.
In his remarks, the Pakistani envoy called for a comprehensive approach to deal with terrorism, addressing not only its symptoms but also its underlying root causes. These include: prolonged unresolved conflicts, foreign occupation, and denial of the right to self-determination, such as in Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine.
On its part, he said Pakistan unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism. “There can be no justification for the killing of innocent people, regardless of the cause or pretext”.
Pakistan is a victim of terrorism, having lost 80,000 civilians and soldiers in terrorist attacks, Ambassador Akram said, pointing out that its counter terrorism operations since 2014 have cleared the country’s territory of all terrorist groups. Pakistan , he said, has cooperated actively with the international community to defeat global terrorism.
The Pakistani envoy spoke about India’s involvement in at least four different types of terrorism, saying it is:
— Conducting ‘state terrorism’ against the people of occupied Kashmir where since 1989, the occupying forces have killed over 96,000 Kashmiris, widowed around 23,000 women, used rape as weapon of war and orphaned more than 108,000 children. India has intensified its terrorist acts since August 5, 2019 when it unilaterally changed the disputed state’s status and launched its ominous ‘final solution’ for Jammu and Kashmir.
— Funding and supporting UN Security Council-listed terrorist entities to carry out cross-border terrorist attacks against Pakistani military and civilian targets, including on the Karachi Stock Exchange on 29 June 2020; in Lahore on 23 June 2021; and, most recently, the killing of Chinese and Pakistani engineers in Dasu on 14 July 2021. Apart from the confessions of the captured Indian spy, Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, Pakistan presented a complete dossier on India’s state-sponsored terrorism to the UN,
— Financing and organizing mercenary terrorist organizations to destabilize Pakistan and impede the country’s economic growth – as publicly admitted by India’s National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval.
— Driven by its supremacist Hindutva ideology – the worst manifestation of Islamophobia and bigotry – the BJP-RSS government is engaged in a campaign of violence and intimidation against its 200 million Muslim minority, with the RSS, one of the oldest fascist movements in the world, killing thousands of Muslims in pogroms and targeted killings across India. Once designated ad a terrorist organization in India, it should be designated as such by the international community.
Unfortunately, Ambassador Akram said since 9/11, despite protestations to the contrary, some have associated terrorism with Islam, thus increasing the tendency of right-wing, xenophobic and violent nationalists, extremists and terrorist groups to target Muslims.
“We strongly condemn the increase in discrimination and terrorist attacks against Muslims in several parts of the world”.
Noting that a recent review of the Global Counter Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) recognized with deep concern the rise in instances of discrimination, intolerance and violence worldwide directed against members of religious and other communities, including cases motivated by Islamophobia and other such prejudices, he called for appropriate changes in the strategy to encompass these new and emerging threats and an end the stigmatization of Islam and Muslims.
Pakistan reiterates the OIC’s position on a consensus-based Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) which clearly differentiates between acts of terrorism and the legitimate struggles for self-determination of peoples under foreign and colonial occupation.
Any definition of terrorism in the comprehensive Convention must reflect the new and emerging threats, Ambassador Akram said.
Responding to Pakistan’s statement, Indian representative Kajal Bhat , claimed that Jammu and Kashmir “is, and will always be, a part of India”.
Ms. Bhat also said that Pakistan masquerades as a victim of terrorism when she alleged it is the biggest perpetrator and supporter of the menace.
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