Pakistan is ‘terrorist state’, carries out war crimes: India to UN

TIL Desk/World/United Nations-India on Thursday called Pakistan a “terrorist state” and accused it of carrying out “war crimes” against Indians through its “long-standing policy” of sponsoring terrorism, hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif racked up the Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly session. In a strong rebuttal, India said the terrorists designated by the UN continued to roam Pakistan’s streets freely and operate with State support.

Exercising India’s Right of Reply to Sharif’s “long tirade” about the situation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, first secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Eenam Gambhir said “the worst violation of human rights is terrorism.” “When practised as an instrument of state policy it is a war crime. What my country and our other neighbours are facing today is Pakistan’s long-standing policy of sponsoring terrorism, the consequences of which have spread well beyond our region,” she said.

Gambhir said India sees in Pakistan “a terrorist state” which channelises billions of dollars, much of it diverted from international aid, to training, financing and supporting terrorist groups as militant proxies against it neighbours. In a reference to Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Gambhir said terrorist entities and their leaders, including many designated by the UN, continue to roam the streets of Pakistan freely and operate with State’s support.