India launched a sharp counterattack against Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday, accusing its neighbour of conducting “systematic genocide” and “bombing its own people”.
Speaking during the Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, dismissed Pakistan’s allegations against India as baseless and politically motivated.
India’s envoy hits back at Pakistan’s claims
Harish’s remarks came after a Pakistani representative alleged that women in Jammu and Kashmir had “endured sexual violence for decades”.
“Every year, we are unfortunately fated to listen to the delusional tirade of Pakistan against my country, especially on Jammu and Kashmir — the Indian territory they covet,” Harish said.
Reaffirming India’s record on gender inclusion in peacekeeping operations, he added, “Our pioneering record on the Women, Peace and Security agenda is unblemished and unscathed.”
A country that bombs its own people’
Responding strongly to Islamabad’s claims, Harish said Pakistan was in no position to lecture others on human rights or women’s safety.
“A country that bombs its own people, conducts systematic genocide, can only attempt to distract the world with misdirection and hyperbole,” he stated.
He cited Operation Searchlight — a 1971 military crackdown by the Pakistani army in the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) — as an example of state-sponsored violence.
“Pakistan conducted Operation Searchlight in 1971 and sanctioned a systematic campaign of genocidal mass rape of 400,000 of its own women citizens,” Harish said, adding that “the world sees through Pakistan’s propaganda.”
India reaffirms stance on Jammu and Kashmir
India reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is, and shall forever remain an integral part of the country”, rejecting Islamabad’s repeated attempts to internationalise the issue.
This is not the first time India has called out Pakistan’s record at international forums. Just last week, during the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, India criticised Pakistan’s “rampant state-sponsored persecution and systemic discrimination” of minorities.
Counsellor KS Mohammed Hussain, speaking on behalf of India, said:
“We find it deeply ironic that a country with one of the world’s worst human rights records seeks to lecture others. Their attempts to misuse this forum with fabricated allegations only expose their hypocrisy.”
Background: India’s strong diplomatic push
India’s response at the UNSC reflects a broader pattern of firm diplomatic rebuttals to Pakistan’s recurring attempts to raise the Kashmir issue at multilateral platforms.
New Delhi has maintained that Pakistan should focus on addressing internal issues such as terrorism, minority persecution, and gender-based violence instead of spreading misinformation about India.
The Indian mission also highlighted its contributions to the global Women, Peace and Security agenda, quoting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who described Indian women peacekeepers as “messengers of peace”.