Pakistan must introspect why it's ‘epicentre’ of terrorism: India at UN

UNITED NATIONS: Hitting out at Pakistan for peddling false narratives against it, India has asked Islamabad that it must introspect about why it is universally acknowledged as the "international epicentre" of terrorism and the best safe haven for terrorists.

Mahaveer Singhvi, head of the Indian delegation, made the comments at a webinar The Global Scourge of Terrorism: Assessment of High-risk Threats and Trends, including the rise of Violent Extremism and Hate Speech in a Pandemic Environment' on Tuesday during the ongoing virtual Counterterrorism Week.

"While the world is coming together to battle the pandemic, it is unfortunate that Pakistan, a state which sponsors cross border terrorism, continues to use every opportunity to peddle false narratives and make baseless, malicious and egregious allegations against India and interfere in our internal affairs, he said.

The international community should call upon Pakistan to take sustained, verifiable and irreversible actions against terror outfits operating on the territory under its control. Pakistan must introspect upon why it is universally acknowledged as the international epicentre of terrorism and the best safe haven for terrorists, Singhvi said. Slamming Islamabad for raising India's domestic policies and internal affairs, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, he said even as Pakistan provides shelter and support to terrorists, it continues to peddle false and motivated narrative on the situation in the Union Territory.

It is seeking to portray its military, financial, logistical support to cross border terrorism against India as a freedom struggle. It is also peddling misinformation about India's domestic legislation and policies, he said. If Pakistan wishes to be taken seriously in the fight against the even more destructive virus of terrorism, it must look inward and live up to its commitments and abandon its divisionary tactics, he said.