Don’t praise terrorists, India warns Pakistan at UN meet

India's Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin has strongly reacted to Pakistan's envoy Maleeha Lodhi’s statements in which she condemned the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.

In its reaction to the above, India accused Pakistan of praising the virtues of terrorists and wanting others’ territories.

It was during a debate on human rights in the 193-member UN General Assembly that Lodhi raised the issue of Kashmir, and called "Kashmiri leader" Wani’s encounter as an "extra-judicial" killing.

In the past UN meetings as well, Lodhi has regularly raised the Kashmir issue. This time around, she called Wani's killing as the "most chilling recent example" of "human rights violations" by Indian forces in Kashmir.

Also read: India never opened a window for dialogue, says Pakistan

She alleged that the denial of self-determination to Kashmiri people is responsible for arbitrary detentions, summary executions and other "atrocious" violations by the armed forces. "Its most chilling recent example is the extra-judicial killing last week of a Kashmiri leader, Burhan Wani, shot to death by Indian forces along with dozens of other innocent Kashmiris," she said.

To this, Akbaruddin said that Pakistan "extols" the virtues of terrorists and it’s because of its track record that it’s been unable to gain membership of the UN's human rights body.

"Regrettably, earlier today we have seen an attempt at misuse of this UN platform. The attempt came from Pakistan; a country that covets the territory of others; a country that uses terrorism as state policy towards that misguided end; a country that extols the virtues of terrorists and that provides sanctuary to UN-designated terrorists; and a country that masquerades its efforts as support for human rights and self determination," he was reported saying.

"The international community has long seen through such designs. Cynical attempts, like the one this morning therefore, find no resonance in this forum or elsewhere in the United Nations," he added.

"We remain strongly committed to the promotion and protection of all human rights for all through pursuit of dialogue and cooperation," he said.

After Wani's encounter last week, the valley has seen at least 30 deaths, with more than 250 people injured in the clashes between protesters and security personnel.

On this issue, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked all parties to exercise "maximum restraint to avoid further violence and hopes that all concerns would be addressed through peaceful means."

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