'Safe Haven to Terrorists': India Tears Into Pakistan After It Rakes Up Kashmir Issue At UNGA

"Pakistan has only to look at itself and its track record as a State that harbours and provides safe havens to terrorists and does so with impunity," India at the UNGA Eleventh Emergency Special Session.

New York: India on Thursday exercised it`s `Right of Reply` at UNGA against Pakistan and advised Islamabad to look at its track record as a state that provides safe heavens to terrorists. At the United Nations General Assembly Eleventh Emergency Special Session, Indian Counsellor Pratik Mathur said, "Pakistan has only to look at itself and its track record as a State that harbours and provides safe havens to terrorists and does so with impunity." He also advised the Pakistani delegation to refer to the numerous Right of Replies that India has exercised in the past. Mathur said, "I am taking the floor to say that India chooses this time not to respond to Pakistan`s mischievous provocations. Our advice to the delegate of Pakistan is to refer to the numerous RoRs that we have exercised in the past." Calling out Pakistan`s uncalled-for provocation "regrettable", Mathur also said that after two days of intense discussions, all the members present in the UN have agreed that the path of peace can be the only path to resolve conflict and discord. India`s most wanted Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba`s (LeT) deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki was designated as "global terrorist" in January. 

India had made listings of Pak-based terrorists a top priority of its UNSC tenure during 2021-22. A total of five names -- Abdul Rehman Makki (LeT), Abdul Rauf Asghar (JeM), Sajid Mir (LeT), Shahid Mahmood (LeT), and Talha Saeed (LeT) -- were submitted by India for designation under 1267 in 2022. Each of these five names was initially placed on technical hold by one member state (China) while all other 14 members of the Council agreed to their listing. 

In 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki on one count of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison, acccording to the US State Department. Earlier in this month, India`s Indus Commissioner issued a notice to Pakistani counterpart to notify a date for the commencement of interstate bilateral negotiations to rectify an ongoing material breach of the Indus Water treaty, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday. 

He further said that India is not involved in the process of the arbitration court. "We have issued rather our India`s Indus Commissioner issued a notice on January 25 for modification of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 to his Pakistani counterpart. This notice was issued with the intent to provide Pakistan an opportunity to enter into government-to-government negotiations, to rectify an ongoing material breach of the treaty. We have called upon Pakistan to notify a suitable date for the commencement of interstate bilateral negotiations under article XII (3) within 90 days," Bagchi said in response to a question on India`s notice to Pakistan for amendments to the Indus water treaty.

"I am not aware of a response from Pakistan as of yet. I am not aware of any response or comment by the World Bank," Bagchi said.He added by saying that India is not participating or involved in the process in any way, in response to a media query on New Delhi`s position on the arbitration court. India issued notice to Pakistan on January 25 for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of September 1960 after Islamabad`s actions adversely impinged the provisions of the treaty, according to sources.