India slams 'Habitual Offender' Pakistan at UN General Assembly

India has strongly hit out at Pakistan after its caretaker leader raked up Kashmir in his address to the UN General Assembly, with Delhi saying the “home and patron” to the largest number of proscribed terrorist entities in the world should take credible action against perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks instead of engaging in “technical sophistry”.

First Secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Petal Gahlot exercised India’s Right of Reply in the UNGA after Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar raised the Kashmir issue in his address at the General Debate during the high-level 78th session of UNGA on Friday.

“Pakistan has been the home and patron to the largest number of internationally proscribed terrorist entities and individuals in the world. Instead of engaging in technical sophistry, we call upon Pakistan to take credible and verifiable action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, whose victims await justice even after 15 years,” Gahlot said in the scathing response.

She said Pakistan needs to take three-fold action for there to be peace in South Asia.

“First, stop cross-border terrorism and shut down its infrastructure of terrorism immediately. Second, vacate Indian territories under its illegal and forcible occupation, and third, stop the grave and persistent human rights violations against the minorities in Pakistan.” In his address earlier, Kakar said Pakistan desired peaceful and productive relations with all its neighbours, including India. "Kashmir is the key to peace between Pakistan and India," he said.

Gahlot reiterated that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India.