India says Imran’s hate speech had no statesmanship
Says Islamabad upstreams terror; objects to Chinese foreign minister’s stand on Jammu & Kashmir
NEW YORK: India on Friday slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for delivering a “hate speech” at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which “bordered on crudeness” and said his justification of terrorism was “brazen and incendiary”. Exercising its right of reply, India also posed questions to UN observers invited by Khan to visit Pakistan and verify his claim that there were no militants there.
Separately, through a spokesperson, India responded to Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s observations on Jammu & Kashmir in his speech and said recent developments in the state are a “matter internal to India” and said countries should “desist” from changing the status quo through the “illegal so-called” China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
At the UNGA, India focussed on Pakistan. “What we heard today from Prime Minister Imran Khan was a callous portrayal of the world in binary terms,” Vidisha Mishra, a first secretary at the Indian mission to the UN, said late Friday night. “Us vs them; rich vs poor; north vs south; developed vs developing; Muslims vs others. A script that fosters divisiveness at the UN. Attempts to sharpen differences and stir up hatred are simply put — ‘hate speech’.” “For someone who was once a cricketer and believed in the gentleman’s game, today’s speech bordered on crudeness of the variety that is reminiscent of the guns of Darra Adam Khel,” the young diplomat said, referring to Pakistan’s notorious weapons market.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not mentioned Pakistan even once in his speech, the first time for an India leader’s speech at the UNGA in eight years. Prime Minister Khan was all about India and Kashmir as he had vowed to, with words and phrases intended to draw an apocalyptic picture of the situation on the subcontinent.
Mishra said his choice of words reflected, instead, a ““medieval mindset”, and his justification of terrorism was “brazen and incendiary” even though it came from the prime minister of a country that has “monopolised the entire value chain of the industry of terrorism”.
The Indian diplomat then went on to pose a questions for the UN observers that Khan has invited to Pakistan.
“Can Pakistan confirm the fact that it is home to 130 UN designated terrorists and 25 terrorist entities listed by the UN, as of today?” the diplomat asked.
“Will Pakistan acknowledge that it is the only government in the world that provides pension to an individual listed by the UN in the Al Qaeda and Da’esh Sanctions list!” That was a reference to Hafiz Saeed, the LeT founder. ››PM SALUTES SOLDIERS OF SURGICAL STRIKE, P8