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'Sanctioned mass rape of 400,000 women': India calls out Pak 'propaganda' at UN
Indian ambassador, speaking at the UN, also described Pakistan as “a country that bombs its own people and conducts systematic genocide”.
India hit back hard at Pakistan in the UN Security Council, reminding the world of Islamabad’s 'sanctioned campaign of mass rape of 400,000 women' during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, after Pakistan once again raised the Kashmir issue during a debate on “Women, Peace and Security.”
Speaking at the debate, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, tore into Pakistan’s “delusional tirade” and accused it of misusing international platforms to spread propaganda.
“Every year, we are unfortunately fated to listen to the delusional tirade of Pakistan against my country, especially on Jammu and Kashmir — the Indian territory they covet,” Harish said.
He went on to remind the Council of Pakistan’s own human rights record, citing the atrocities committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
“This is a country that conducted Operation Searchlight in 1971 and sanctioned a systematic campaign of genocidal mass rape of 400,000 women citizens by its own army. The world sees through Pakistan’s propaganda,” he said.
Harish described Pakistan as “a country that bombs its own people and conducts systematic genocide,” adding that Islamabad uses “misdirection and hyperbole” to distract the international community from its own actions.
Pakistan’s remarks came through Saima Saleem, a counsellor at its Permanent Mission to the UN, who alleged that Kashmiri women had endured sexual violence “deployed as a weapon of war” for decades. She called for the “plight” of Kashmiri women to be reflected in future UNSC reports.
India’s envoy dismissed these claims and reaffirmed New Delhi’s “unblemished” record on women, peace and security. He highlighted India’s longstanding contributions to UN peacekeeping and its early recognition of women as “indispensable agents of peace,” citing the deployment of Indian women medical officers to Congo in the 1960s.
Earlier this year, India hosted the International Conference on Women Peacekeepers from the Global South, bringing together women peacekeepers from 35 nations to develop actionable strategies for greater female participation in peace missions.
The UNSC debate marked 25 years of Resolution 1325, which focuses on preventing violations of women’s rights during conflicts and ensuring their role in peacebuilding.
This is not the first time India has issued a strong rebuttal to Pakistan at the UN. In September, New Delhi had hit back at Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s speech at the UN General Assembly, calling out Islamabad for peddling “misdirected facts” on Jammu and Kashmir.
