#KashmirNow: Delhi Counters Pakistan at UN

KL NEWS NETWORK

SRINAGAR

India’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) Syed Akbaruddin on Thursday lashed out at Pakistan and accused it of trying to “misuse” the platform provided by the UN.

Akbaruddin was speaking at a high-level thematic debate on Human Rights organised by President of the General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft.

“Regrettably, earlier today we have seen an attempt at misuse of this UN platform. The attempt came from Pakistan; a country that covets the territory of others; a country that uses terrorism as state policy towards that misguided end; a country that extols the virtues of terrorists and that provides sanctuary to UN-designated terrorists; and a country that masquerades its efforts as support for human rights and Self Determination,” he said.

Akbaruddin asserted that Pakistan’s “track record failed” to convince the international community that it should gain membership of the Human Rights Council in this very session of the UNGA.

His comments come in the backdrop of Pakistan raising in the UN the issue of the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had dubbed the killing of Wani as a violation of human rights.

Pakistan’s envoy Maleeha Lodhi had raised the issue of Wani’s killing at the same platform on Wednesday describing him as a ‘Kashmiri leader’ and terming it as ‘extra-judicial’ killing.

On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Army General Raheel Sharif also condemned the killing of Wani. India, on its part, has already told Pakistan “not to interfere in its internal matters”.

Syed Akbaruddin said at the UN that “Pakistan was the same country which failed to influence international community to gain membership of Human Rights Council”.

He reiterated that “India is a diverse, pluralistic and tolerant nation and its commitment to democracy and human rights is enshrined in the constitution”.