United Nations, Oct 7: In a strong rebuke of Pakistan at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday, India accused its neighbour of “bombing its own people” and conducting systematic genocide, including the mass rape of 400,000 women during Operation Searchlight in 1971.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, made the remarks during the UNSC open debate on “Women, Peace and Security”, emphasizing Pakistan’s history of human rights violations.
“Every year, we are unfortunately fated to listen to the delusional tirade of Pakistan against my country, especially on Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian territory they covet,” Harish said. “A country that bombs its own people, conducts systematic genocide, can only attempt to distract the world with misdirection and hyperbole. The world sees through Pakistan’s propaganda.”
The ambassador noted that Pakistan’s March 25, 1971 crackdown, Operation Searchlight, involved widespread civilian killings in East Pakistan and sanctioned genocidal mass rapes by its own army.
Harish also defended India’s record on the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, calling it “unblemished and unscathed,” and underscored India’s readiness to share expertise with partners in the Global South to address shared challenges.
Highlighting India’s contributions to UN peacekeeping, he said:
“What distinguishes India’s peacekeeping legacy is not merely the scale of our contribution, but our pioneering recognition of women as indispensable agents of peace.”
He recalled that as early as the 1960s, India deployed women medical officers to the Congo, marking one of the earliest instances of female participation in UN peacekeeping operations. This, he said, was a practical acknowledgement that women’s perspectives and skills are essential to effective peacekeeping.
In February 2025, India hosted the International Conference on Women Peacekeepers from the Global South, gathering participants from 35 nations to address challenges such as sexual exploitation, abuse, and leveraging technology for peacekeeping effectiveness. The conference aimed to develop actionable strategies to increase women’s participation and impact in future peace missions.
The statements come after Pakistan raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that excluding Kashmiri women from the Women, Peace, and Security agenda undermines its universality.