India warned Pakistan of consequences if cross-border terrorism continues.
Shehbaz Sharif called any attempt to divert Pakistan’s Indus waters an “act of war”.
India rejected Pakistan’s claims on Kashmir and accused Islamabad of supporting terrorism.
India has warned Pakistan that continued cross-border terrorism will have consequences, hitting back at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks at the United Nations General Assembly and rejecting what it described as Islamabad’s repeated falsehoods. New Delhi’s response came after Sharif warned that any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the Indus waters would be treated as an “act of war”.
India’s First Secretary at the UN, Petal Gehlot, said Pakistan must stop supporting terrorism and asserted that India would exercise its right to self-defence if cross-border terrorism continued. According to News18, Gehlot said the international community would recognise Pakistan and its policies for what they are and assess them on the basis of its actions rather than the claims made by its representative.
India Targets Pakistan’s Terror Record
Gehlot referred to Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, who was living near Pakistan’s premier military academy, while questioning Pakistan’s claims on security.
“Today, the representative of Pakistan went out of his way to praise that very military," Gehlot said.
News18 reported that Gehlot also questioned Pakistan’s claims on democracy and human rights, saying the country’s government was operating under a security cordon to protect it from its own people.
She referred to Pakistan’s 27th Constitutional Amendment and the lifetime legal immunity granted to what she described as the country’s “actual ruler".
Gehlot further said Pakistan spoke about security during the day while carrying out terrorism at night.
“The world knows how minorities are treated in Pakistan," she said, adding that “sweet and deceptive words" could not mislead the international community.
India Rejects Pakistan’s Kashmir References
Gahlot rejected Pakistan’s references to Jammu and Kashmir during Sharif’s UNGA address.
“Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inseparable part of India and will always remain so," Gehlot said.
Addressing the recent protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, she said that if Kashmir was to be discussed, Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir should also be brought into the discussion.
“Ask the people of Rawalakot about the killings, violence and denial of basic rights they have endured for years," Gehlot said.
India Warns Of Consequences For Terrorism
Gehlot said the central issue remained Pakistan’s “longstanding policy of cross-border terrorism”.
“We demonstrated last year that there would be neither a safe haven nor a place to hide for terrorists," she said.
India, she added, had the right to defend itself against terrorism and would exercise that right.
“If terrorism continues from Pakistan’s side, there will be consequences," Gehlot said.
She also warned that continued terrorism could affect relations that had so far been built on friendship and goodwill.
Sharif Raises Indus Waters Treaty At UN
Sharif had earlier told the UNGA that India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance had no legal basis. He warned that any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the waters would be treated as an “act of war".
India said it was confident that the UN General Assembly would assess Pakistan and its policies on the basis of their actions rather than the claims made by its representative, News18 reported.
Gehlot said Pakistan’s repeated claims would not change the facts.
“Repeating a lie every year does not make it the truth," Gehlot said.
She concluded that Pakistan’s “terrorism, deception and double standards" served neither Pakistan nor the wider world.
