**India Reminds the World of Pakistan’s Campaign of “Genocidal Mass Rape” in Bangladesh During UN Debate**
India has reminded the world of Pakistan’s campaign of “genocidal mass rape” of women in Bangladesh during its independence struggle, as Islamabad attempted to divert attention from its own record through “misdirection and hyperbole”.
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, P. Harish, made the statement during a Security Council debate on Women, Peace, and Security on Monday. Reacting to Pakistan’s attempt to bring up the Kashmir issue during the discussion, Harish 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.”
Harish added, “The world sees through Pakistan’s propaganda.” His reminder of Pakistan’s atrocities in Bangladesh came as the Dhaka regime, led by Mohammad Yunus, responded to Islamabad’s overtures.
Harish also condemned Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad’s criticism of India as a “delusional tirade,” pointing to Pakistan’s persistent references to Jammu and Kashmir — Indian territory that Pakistan covets. “A country that bombs its own people, conducts systematic genocide, can only attempt to distract the world with misdirection and hyperbole,” he said.
The Indian envoy highlighted that Pakistan frequently inserts its Kashmir narrative into almost every discussion at the UN, regardless of the topic, even though none of the other 192 member countries raise the issue. While Ahmad accused India of repression in Pakistan, Pakistani security forces reportedly killed at least 12 people last week in the part of Kashmir it administers during its campaign to suppress demands for government reform.
During the debate, UN Secretary-General António Guterres referred to the landmark Security Council resolution adopted 25 years ago that elevated the role of women in conflict prevention, peace negotiations, and peace-building.
Since then, he noted, progress has been made with women leading local mediation, shaping new laws, and advancing 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 that “gains are fragile and—very worryingly—going in reverse,” citing troubling global trends including rising military spending, more armed conflicts, and shocking brutality against women and girls.
Harish lauded the adoption of the Council resolution as 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 predated its adoption by several decades. Indian medical officers pioneered women’s participation in peacekeeping by joining UN operations in Congo in 1960.
In 2007, India contributed the first all-female Formed Police Unit in the UN’s history. Deployed in Liberia, the 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 recalled Kiran Bedi, India’s 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.
“It is no longer a question of whether women can do peacekeeping; rather, it is whether peacekeeping can do without women,” Harish stated.
India continues to invest 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 exclusively for women military officers, with officers from dozens of countries having participated.
*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
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