New York: Devastated Air force bases must be a sign of victory for Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and he is free to “enjoy it”, India hit back at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday.
India, however, made it clear that it won’t give in to nuclear blackmail and continue to go after terrorists and their sponsors.
“If destroyed runways and burnt-out hangars look like victory, as the Prime Minister claimed, Pakistan is welcome to enjoy it”, Petal Gahlot, a first secretary at India’s UN Mission said at the General Assembly.
This came after Sharif claimed in his statement that Pakistan had won the war.
Exercising the right of reply to his “absurd theatrics” during his speech in the morning, Petal ripped his claims about the war and the accusations he flung against India while declaring India’s zero tolerance for terrorism.
“Where terrorism is concerned, we are making it clear that there will be no distinction between the terrorists and their sponsors”, she said. “Both will be held accountable”.
“Nor will we allow terrorism to be practised under the cover of nuclear blackmail. India will never bow to such threats”, she added.
“India’s message to the world is clear; there must be zero-tolerance for terrorism,” Petal went on to say, adding that terrorism is “central” to Pakistan’s foreign policy and the recent events again showed that Islamabad glorifies terrorism, and sponsors and protects terrorists.
“No degree of drama and no level of lies can conceal the facts. Pakistan again glorified terrorism that is so central to their foreign policy”, she said.
Pakistan’s role as a state sponsor of terrorism was again exposed when it shielded at the Security Council on April 25, the “Pakistani sponsored terror outfit” – The Resistance Front (TRF) – “from the responsibility of carrying out the barbaric massacre of tourists in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” Petal said.
Sharif had “advanced a bizarre account” on the ending of the conflict between the two countries in May, she added.
“The record on this matter is clear,” said, throwing a challenge to go look at the pictures of where the devastation happened.
“Till 9 May, Pakistan was threatening more attacks on India. But on 10 May, its military pleaded with us directly for a cessation to the fighting,” Petal said.
“The intervening event was the destruction caused to multiple Pakistani air bases by Indian forces. The pictures of that damage are, of course, publicly accessible”.
Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations Major General Kashif Abdullah, called his Indian counterpart, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, and asked for a ceasefire.
“The truth is that as in the past, Pakistan is responsible for a terrorist attack on innocent civilians in India. We have exercised the right to defend our people against such actions and have brought the organisers and perpetrators to justice,” she said, defending Operation Sindoor.
On Pakistan trying to deflect Operation Sindoor away from its terrorist links, the first secretary said: “A country long steeped in the tradition of deploying and exporting terrorism has no shame in advancing the most ludicrous narratives to that end.”
“A picture speaks a thousand words, and we saw many pictures of terrorists slain in Bahawalpur and Muridke terror complexes by Indian forces during Operation Sindoor,” Petal said.
“When senior Pakistani military and civilian officials publicly glorify and pay homage to such notorious terrorists, can there be any doubt about the proclivities of this regime. Its ministers have just recently acknowledged that they have been operating terrorist camps for decades. It should come as no surprise that once again, this duplicity continues, this time at the level of its Prime Minister,” she said.
She also went after Sharif for dragging in US president Donald Trump in his speech and claiming the latter “facilitated” the ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
“India and Pakistan have long agreed that any outstanding issue between them will be addressed bilaterally. There is no room for any third party in that regard. This is our longstanding national position,” Petal said.