Pakistan Fires Back at India's Accusations at UN on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

Strategic Insights -

The Pakistani government has vociferously denied Indian accusations of human rights abuses during a UN Security Council debate on conflict-related sexual violence, calling the charges 'fallacious' and an attempt to deflect attention from India's own record of grave international law violations. Pakistani diplomat Sarfraz Gohar rejected the Indian representative's allegations, citing India's own history of human rights abuses, including its 1971 military intervention in East Pakistan and the current persecution of minorities in India.

Key Takeaways:

  • Pakistan's UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad highlighted the suffering and abuses of Kashmiri women and girls at the hands of the Indian military in occupied Kashmir, prompting a sharp response from India.
  • Sarfraz Gohar, Pakistan's delegate to the UN Security Council, rejected Indian accusations of human rights abuses as 'entirely baseless and politically motivated.'
  • Gohar accused India of imposing a reign of terror against its own people, including Muslims, Christians, and Dalits, and pointed to several high-profile cases of violence against these groups.
  • The Pakistani delegate noted that India's crimes against its own people include pogroms in Gujrat, Mumbai, and Delhi; frequent lynching of Muslims; bulldozing of Muslim houses and shops; and hate speech by politicians and Hindutva priests.
  • Gohar also mentioned the destruction of hundreds of mosques, including the Babri Mosque, as part of India's campaign to obliterate Muslims and their cultural heritage.

Statistics:

  • 200 million: The number of Muslims living in India who are allegedly subject to persecution by the current BJP-RSS government.
  • 2 million: The number of Christians living in India who are allegedly subject to violence and persecution.
  • 2 million: The number of Dalits (formerly "untouchables") living in India who are allegedly subject to violence and persecution.

Sources:

  • Pakistan's UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad
  • Sarfraz Gohar, Pakistan's delegate to the UN Security Council
  • Indian representative Eldos Mathew Punnoose