India criticised Pakistan’s “mischievous provocation” and “political propaganda” during a Security Council meeting on women, peace, and security, highlighting the poor conditions faced by women from minority communities, particularly Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians in Pakistan.
“It is both despicable and unsurprising that one delegation has chosen to engage in mischievous provocation, relying on their well-practised tactic of spreading misinformation and disinformation,” said India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador P Harish on Friday.
Harish delivered India’s statement at the UNSC Open Debate on ‘Women Building Peace in a Changing Environment’. In a firm Right of Reply to Pakistan, which had once again raised the issue of Kashmir, Harish stated, “It’s completely inappropriate to engage in such political propaganda at this important annual debate.”
He noted, “The condition of women from minority communities, including Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians in that country, remains deplorable.”
Harish referred to data from Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission, which estimates that around a thousand women from minority communities are subjected to “abduction, forced religious conversions, and forced marriages each year.”
India reaffirmed its strong commitment to the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, with Harish emphasising that lasting peace relies on the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women at all levels of decision-making, including politics, governance, institution-building, rule of law, security, and economic recovery.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, for the first time in nearly nine years, India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar travelled to Pakistan to attend the heads of government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). (IE)
