Pakistan responds to India at UNSC debate, says it stands exposed by terrorism and disregard for international law

Pakistan has responded to claims by India during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying that the neighbouring country stands exposed by “terrorism, occupation, aggression, repression and disregard for international law”. The development came during a UNSC debate on the protection of civilians. During the debate, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Harish Parvathaneni, accused Pakistan of ignoring international humanitarian obligations, targeting civilians and a “long-tainted record of genocidal acts”, Times of India reports. He also reiterated the Afghan Taliban’s claims of targeting a hospital in Kabul earlier this year. The statement by India came after Pakistan earlier highlighted the plight of the people of occupied Kashmir. In response to the Indian envoy’s remarks, Pakistan’s representative Saima Saleem said, “India once again came to this council wearing the mask of a victim — but the world can see the face behind that mask. “It is the face of a state that exports terrorism abroad, occupies people by force, persecutes minorities at home, weaponises water, commits aggression in the region, and then tries to lecture others on the protection of civilians,” she said. Saleem said that India’s state-sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan was not abstract and had a human cost. “Its terrorist proxies — including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, Balochistan Liberation Army and Majeed Brigade have killed thousands of civilians, including women and children in our mosques, markets, schools and streets, through networks financed, facilitated and operated from Afghan soil,” she said. Commenting on Afghanistan, she said that Pakistan carried out “precise, deliberate and professional counter-terrorism operations against terrorist hideouts, training camps, ammunition storage sites, and support networks used to plan and launch attacks against Pakistani civilians, security forces and infrastructure”. “These operations were directed solely aga