India raps Pakistan for 'Dressing Up a Massacre as A Military Operation'
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India accused Pakistan at the UN of killing civilians in Afghanistan and weaponising trade routes against Afghans.
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, June 9: India sharply criticised Pakistan at the UN Security Council on Monday, holding it responsible for deadly airstrikes in Afghanistan during the holy month of Ramadan earlier this year. The attacks, which Pakistan described as counter-terrorism operations, reportedly killed hundreds of civilians, including children.
“Dressing up a massacre as a military operation does not absolve the perpetrator. Killing, maiming and orphaning civilians is not counter terrorism," India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Harish Parvathaneni, said.
India also put Pakistan on the defensive over its treatment of Afghan trade and transit routes. Afghanistan, being a landlocked country, relies heavily on neighbouring countries for access to international markets and seaports.
"Pakistan's campaign of military airstrikes against Afghanistan is causing huge civilian casualties and suffering to the Afghan people... Such unconscionable acts of violence are a blatant assault on Afghanistan's sovereignty and a threat to the region's peace and stability," Parvathaneni said at the Security Council meeting convened to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
Citing data from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Parvathaneni noted that 372 civilians were killed and 397 injured during the first three months of the year. He stressed that a large number of the casualties occurred during Ramadan, a period regarded by Muslims as a time of peace, mercy and reflection.
"No faith, no law and no morality can justify such actions,” he told the Council.
"Espousing high principles of international law and Islamic solidarity while mercilessly carrying out air strikes during the holy month of Ramadan is the perfect example of hypocrisy,” Parvathaneni said, directly criticising Pakistan's actions.
He further remarked that “blaming neighbours for its own failures is an old Pakistani habit. This attempt to hoodwink the world will fail.”
Trade and Transit 'Terrorism'
India also condemned what it described as “trade and transit terrorism” imposed on Afghan traders by Pakistan, calling it a violation of World Trade Organisation (WTO) norms and international obligations.
India, the largest destination for Afghan exports, currently offers tariff-free access to Afghan goods and has operationalised a dedicated air freight corridor between the two countries.
Parvathaneni said India has also been supporting Afghan traders by issuing hundreds of free long-term business visas to those affected by Pakistan's restrictions.
"The cynical closure of access for this land-locked country is in total violation of UN declarations on Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and a clear weaponisation of their trade and transit vulnerabilities. This blatant Pakistani violation of WTO norms and of the UN Charter and international law should be condemned by the global community,” he said.
In response, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, questioned the findings of UNAMA and the UN Secretary-General's report on Afghanistan, reported news agency PTI.
"The fatalities of terrorists and their supporters as a result of CT (counter-terror) operations are mentioned within the ambit of 'civilian casualties', posing serious questions on the credibility of UNAMA's reporting from Afghanistan and the nature of their engagement with the Taliban,” Ahmad said.
Responding to Pakistan's criticism of UNAMA and the Secretary-General's report, Parvathaneni said, “We would like to stress that support for multilateralism and the United Nations is not an à la carte menu”
India also reiterated its longstanding position against terrorism in all forms and manifestations.
“Only coordinated efforts of the international community can ensure that ISIL and Al Qaida and their affiliates, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed and proxies of LeT such as The Resistance Front, along with those who facilitate their operations, no longer indulge in cross-border terrorism,” he said, urging the international community to work together towards this “noble goal.”
