UNITED NATIONS, Jun 09 (APP):A senior Pakistani diplomat Monday strongly rejected Indian and Afghan allegations that Pakistan recently conducted military strikes against Afghanistan and caused “huge” civilian casualties, saying those hits were solely directed at terrorist and military support infrastructure used by the Taliban regime to carry out cross-border attacks. Exercising his right of reply to their allegations during a UN Security Council discussion on the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistani Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said Pakistan’s actions, including those conducted in March, targeted drone storage and technical support infrastructure as well as ammunition storage sites.
Those strikes, he said, were precise, deliberate, and professional, and no hospital or drug rehabilitation centre or civilian facility was targeted. India’s statement was delivered by its Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, while Naseer Ahmad Faiq — an appointee of the previous Afghan government since the UN has not yet recognized the Taliban government — spoke for Afghanistan, with the Pakistani envoy saying that he does not represent anyone but himself. The Indian envoy highlighted India’s humanitarian and capacity-building assistance in Afghanistan. He also pointed out the Pakistani strikes were carried out during the holy month of Ramazan.
In this regard, Ambassador Asim Ahmad, the Pakistani envoy, said India’s key aim, under the disguise of development and humanitarian assistance, was to destabilize Pakistan through the use of terrorist groups, including Tehrik -e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which acts as a proxy of India to perpetrate terrorism inside Pakistan. He said that key expectations of the international community from the Taliban regime, now in its 5th year, were inclusive governance, human rights, women and girls’ rights, and counterterrorism, meaning that Afghan soil will not be allowed to be used for terrorism against any country.
During the Council’s discussions, he pointed out that concerns were raised over the non-implementation of those pledges and demands made of the Taliban regime to comply with those commitments. What was amusing, Ambassador Asim Ahmad said, was listening to India’s “newfound for the Taliban”. That policy shift comes on the heels of Pakistan’s successful counterterrorism operations against the terrorist hideouts and camps that are operating inside Afghanistan with the active support of India.
Not once did the Indian envoy condemn the TTP or the BLA – Fitna al Hindustan – who have been targeting innocent Pakistanis. “We are not surprised at all,” he said.
“It must be discomforting for India to see its terrorist infrastructure being dismantled and destroyed in Afghanistan by Pakistan’s valiant security forces, who will continue to do whatever is necessary for our self-defence.” India’s calls on others to comply with international law and adhere to the dictates of humanity was “laughable”, he said. “It is, in fact, a serial violator of international law.” For decades, India has been in illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, where it has been engaged in gross and systematic violations of human rights, the Pakistani envoy said.
“While we were talking of violations of human rights, of women’s rights and girls’ rights in Afghanistan, how can we be quiet about violations — these grave, persistent, systematic violations of human rights which have been reported and corroborated by the international community.” India was also involved in persecuting minorities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and others who dared to raise their voice, with its national media under the control of BJP’s government , he said. “And it (India) is a state sponsor of terrorism — not just in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir or in Pakistan using the Afghan soil, but it is openly aiding, abetting and financing terrorism elsewhere,” the Pakistani envoy said.
“Extraterritorial assassinations — the international community is now well aware of it in North America, in Canada and the US.” India, he said, was also in serious breach of Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir and violated the Indus Waters Treaty by declaring that it is holding it in abeyance, without any reason, justification, and in complete breach of the treaty’s provisions and international law. About opportunities and facilities India extended to Afghan cricketers, Ambassador Asim Ahmad said New Delhi has a bad record in promoting sportsman spirit — its players and officials even refuse to shake hands, as seen during the Asian Cup.
Pakistan, he said, is well aware of India’s motives and evil designs and will not allow them to nourish terrorists and threaten its national security. “We have stopped them before, and we will do it again, and we will do it always.”
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