India has once again hit back at Pakistan at the United Nations, this time during a UN Security Council (UNSC) debate on Women, Peace and Security. Speaking at the open debate, Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, called out Pakistan for its “delusional tirade” against India, particularly on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
India calls out Pakistan’s false claims
“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 during the session.
The Indian envoy further criticised Islamabad for violating women’s rights within its borders and accused it of trying to divert global attention with propaganda.
“This is a country that conducted Operation Searchlight in 1971 and sanctioned a systematic campaign of genocidal mass rape of 400,000 women citizens by its own army. The world sees through Pakistan’s propaganda,” he said.
Pakistan raises Kashmir issue again
Harish’s remarks came in response to Saima Saleem, Counsellor at Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN, who once again raised the Kashmir issue during the debate. Saleem claimed that Kashmiri women had endured sexual violence “deployed as a weapon of war” for decades under “occupation”.
She alleged that international organisations, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, had documented incidents of impunity, harassment of women activists, and arbitrary detentions in Jammu and Kashmir.
Saleem demanded that the Women, Peace and Security agenda include references to “Kashmiri women”, saying that excluding them “erases the agenda’s legitimacy”.
India reminds Pakistan of 1971 atrocities
In a firm rebuttal, India reminded the UN of Pakistan’s own history of human rights violations, specifically during Operation Searchlight, carried out in 1971 to crush the Bengali nationalist movement in then East Pakistan.
The brutal campaign led to the killing of up to 3 lakh Bengalis and the mass rape of around 4 lakh women, forcing nearly one crore refugees to flee to India. The operation triggered the 1971 Liberation War, which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh.
UN debate marks 25 years of Resolution 1325
The UNSC debate on Women, Peace and Security marked 25 years since the adoption of Resolution 1325 in 2000. The landmark resolution recognised the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and girls and called for their participation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and reconstruction.
India’s consistent stance against Pakistan’s rhetoric
This is not the first time India has countered Pakistan’s rhetoric at the UN. In September 2025, India rebuked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s speech at the UN General Assembly, where he made misleading claims about Operation Sindoor and Pakistan’s alleged “victory” during the May standoff.
Operation Sindoor was an Indian military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, targeting terror bases across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
India has consistently maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, and Pakistan has no locus standi to interfere in its internal matters.