India rejects Pakistan’s allegations of sexual violence in Kashmir at UN Security Council.
Harish cited Pakistan’s 1971 Operation Searchlight, where 400,000 women faced mass rape.
India reaffirmed its commitment to women’s empowerment and peacebuilding
India delivered a strong rebuttal to Pakistan at the United Nations. India accused Islamabad of hypocrisy on women’s rights and recalled its campaign of genocidal mass rape. They cited the rape of 400,000 women during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
United Nations Security Council debate marking 25 years of Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Speaking at the UNSC, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, tore into Pakistan’s “delusional tirades” on Kashmir and questioned its moral authority.
He said that “Every year, we are fated to hear Pakistan’s delusional tirade against my country. A nation that bombed its own people and sanctioned a campaign of genocidal mass rape against 400,000 of its women citizens has no moral standing to lecture others.” He added, “The world sees through Pakistan’s propaganda.”
Harish’s remarks came after Pakistan’s Counsellor Saima Saleem alleged India. She alleged that Kashmiri women had suffered sexual violence “used as a weapon of war.” India rejected the claims, calling them baseless and politically motivated.
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In a powerful reference, Harish reminded the Council of Operation Searchlight (1971). A brutal military crackdown by Pakistan’s army in then-East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The campaign, led by General Tikka Khan, saw mass killings and systematic sexual violence against hundreds of thousands of women.
Harish underscored that Pakistan’s past actions — including the bombing of its own civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last month — show a continuing pattern of violence and repression.
“A country that bombs its own people and conducts systematic genocide can only attempt to distract the world with misdirection and hyperbole,” Harish said.
India reaffirmed its “unblemished record” on promoting women’s participation in peace and security. Harish highlighted India’s early deployment of women medical officers in UN peacekeeping missions, such as in Congo in the 1960s, and its recent hosting of the International Conference on Women Peacekeepers from the Global South, which brought together delegates from 35 nations.
India’s statement came amid Pakistan’s continued attempts to internationalize the Kashmir issue, a move New Delhi has repeatedly dismissed as propaganda.
Earlier this year, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had also criticized Pakistan at the UN General Assembly, calling it the “epicentre of global terrorism.”
Through its strong response at the UNSC, India not only refuted Pakistan’s claims.It also reminded the international community of Islamabad’s dark legacy of gender-based violence during the 1971 genocide. This atrocity continues to haunt South Asia’s history. [Rh/VP]
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