During the United Nations General Assembly Eleventh Emergency Special Session, Indian Counsellor Pratik Mathur exercised India’s ‘Right of Reply’ and criticized Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists. Mathur stated that Pakistan should examine its own track record as a state that harbors and protects terrorists with impunity. He also suggested that the Pakistani delegation should refer to the numerous previous responses that India has made to Pakistan’s provocations.
Mathur stated that India chose not to respond to Pakistan’s mischievous provocations, and called Pakistan’s uncalled-for provocation “regrettable”. He emphasized that after two days of intense discussions, all the members present in the UN have agreed that the only path to resolve conflict and discord is through peace.
During India’s UNSC tenure in 2021-22, the country made the listings of Pakistan-based terrorists a top priority. India submitted the names of five terrorists for designation under 1267, but one member state (China) initially placed each name on technical hold, while all other 14 members of the Council agreed to their listing. One of the designated terrorists was Abdul Rehman Makki, the deputy chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which is India’s most wanted Pakistan-based terrorist. Makki was convicted on one count of terrorism financing and sentenced to prison in 2020 by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court, according to the US State Department.
In addition, earlier this month, India’s Indus Commissioner issued a notice to Pakistan’s counterpart to notify a date for the commencement of interstate bilateral negotiations to rectify an ongoing material breach of the Indus Water treaty. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India is not involved in the process of the arbitration court. Bagchi further added that India had issued the 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. However, Bagchi said that he was not aware of any response or comment by the World Bank.
