India At UNGA: India on Saturday strongly retaliated to the statements of Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in which he accused New Delhi of "escalating tensions" in Kashmir. India slammed Pakistan, calling it a hypocritical country run by the army, spreading terrorism, international crime, violence, and drugs.

Long list of Pakistan's cross-border terrorism against India

Bhavika Mangalandan, First Secretary at India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, accused Pakistan of using cross-border terrorism as a key strategy against India, including in the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. "The list is quite long," Mangalandan said, hitting back at Islamabad's baseless claims.

He further said that "there can be no compromise with terrorism" and Pakistan's cross-border terrorism against India "will inevitably invite its consequences."

Pakistan's fingerprints on terrorist incidents across the world

"We are talking about a country which for a long time harbored Osama bin Laden, a country whose fingerprints are on many terrorist incidents across the world, whose policies have attracted many terrorist groups and the worst elements of society to make Pakistan their base," Mangalandan said during India's right of reply at the UNGA. 

India's sharp reply after Shahbaz Sharif's statement 

India responded sharply to Shahbaz Sharif's comments. In his statement, Sharif referred to the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, in the year 2019. Shahbaz Sharif claimed, “India rejected Pakistan's proposals for mutual strategic restraint on governance. Its leadership has often threatened to cross the Line of Control and occupy Azad Kashmir (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir).”

Pakistan is infamous for terrorism, drugs, and crime.

In his response, Mangalanandan called Pakistan a "military-run country with a global reputation for terrorism, narcotics, and international crime". He wondered how a country notorious for these issues could attack India, the world's largest democracy, on this global platform. "It is even more extraordinary for a country with a history of rigging elections to talk about political options in a democracy," Mangalanandan said.

Jammu and Kashmir is an inseparable and integral part of India.

The Indian diplomat said Jammu and Kashmir is "an inseparable and integral part of India" and Pakistan has long been trying to disrupt peace and elections in the region through violent means. He condemned Pakistan's actions and said, "It is the biggest hypocrisy for such a country to talk about violence anywhere." India reiterated its tough policy against terrorism, giving a strong message to Pakistan. He said that India is ready to go to any extent to protect its sovereign rights.

There can never be any compromise with terrorism.

Mangalanandan also responded to Pakistan's proposal for a mutual strategic restraint arrangement, declaring that "there can be no compromise with terrorism." He said Pakistan has carried out attacks on our Parliament, our economic capital Mumbai, famous markets, and holy pilgrimages. He stressed that Pakistan's continued support for cross-border terrorism against India will inevitably have consequences.

Pakistan's allegations against India are just an unfortunate farce.

He said, "This General Assembly has witnessed such an unfortunate spectacle this morning. It is laughable that a nation that committed genocide in 1971 and which still oppresses its minorities dares to speak about intolerance and fear. The world can see for itself what Pakistan really is. We are talking about a country that sheltered Osama bin Laden for a long time. Our stand is clear and does not need to be repeated again and again. Pakistan cannot hide the truth with lies."