**India Reminds World of Pakistan’s Campaign of Genocidal Mass Rape in Bangladesh During UN Security Council Debate**

India has reminded the world of Pakistan’s campaign of “genocidal mass rape” of women in Bangladesh during its struggle for independence, as Islamabad attempted to divert attention from its record through “misdirection and hyperbole.”

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, P. Harish, made these remarks during a Security Council debate on Women, Peace, and Security held on Monday. Reacting to Pakistan’s attempt to bring up Kashmir during the debate, he said:

“This is a country that conducted Operation Searchlight in 1971 and sanctioned a systematic campaign of genocidal mass rape of 400,000 women citizens by its own army.”

He added, “The world sees through Pakistan’s propaganda.”

The reminder of Pakistan’s atrocities in Bangladesh came amid responses from the Dhaka regime, led by Mohammad Yunus, to Islamabad’s overtures.

Harish described Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad’s, criticism of India as a “delusional tirade” that brought in Jammu and Kashmir — “the Indian territory they covet.”

He stated, “A country that bombs its own people, conducts systematic genocide, can only attempt to distract the world with misdirection and hyperbole.”

Pakistan has a pattern of inserting its view of Kashmir into nearly every UN discussion, regardless of the topic, despite the fact that none of the other 192 countries raise the Kashmiri cause.

Although Ahmad accused India of repression in Pakistan, security forces in the part of Kashmir occupied by Islamabad killed at least 12 people last week during efforts to brutally crush demands for government reform.

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**UN Secretary-General Highlights Progress and Challenges in Women, Peace, and Security**

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres referred to the landmark Security Council resolution adopted 25 years ago this month, which elevated women’s roles in preventing conflicts, peace negotiations, and peacebuilding.

He acknowledged progress made since then, noting that women have “led local mediation, shaped new laws, and advanced justice for survivors of gender-based violence.” The number of women peacekeepers has doubled, and gender provisions in peace agreements have become more common.

However, Guterres warned, “But gains are fragile and – very worryingly – going in reverse.” He pointed to troubling global trends such as increased military spending, more armed conflicts, and alarming brutality against women and girls.

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**India’s Commitment to Women in Peacekeeping**

P. Harish called the adoption of the Council resolution a “transformative moment that fundamentally reshaped our understanding of peace and security — recognising that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the full and equal participation of women.”

He emphasized that India’s commitment to the principles behind the resolution predates its adoption by several decades. Indian medical officers pioneered women’s participation in peacekeeping, joining UN operations in Congo as early as 1960.

In 2007, India contributed the first all-female Formed Police Unit in UN history, which was deployed in Liberia. This unit “catalysed a transformation in Liberian society, inspiring local women to join law enforcement and participate actively in rebuilding their nation,” Harish said.

He also highlighted the achievements of Kiran Bedi, the first woman officer of the Indian Police Service, who made history at the UN as its first female Police Advisor and head of the United Nations Police Division in 2003.

Harish concluded, “It is no longer a question of whether women can do peacekeeping; rather, it is whether peacekeeping can do without women.”

India has invested in building women’s leadership in peacekeeping through the Indian Army’s Center for United Nations Peacekeeping in New Delhi. The Center launched a special course in 2016 for women military officers, with officers from dozens of countries having participated so far.

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*Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/country-that-bombs-its-own-people-india-hits-back-at-pakistan-at-un-video