UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan strongly condemned India’s policies in “Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir” (IIOJK) at the United Nations on Thursday, accusing New Delhi of systemic human rights violations, regional aggression, and religious intolerance.
Speaking during the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, Pakistan’s representative Counsellor Saima Saleem said “propaganda cannot whitewash persecution” as she delivered a forceful right of reply to India’s statement earlier in the session.
“Jammu and Kashmir is not and has never been an integral part of India,” Saleem declared. “Numerous Security Council resolutions attest to this reality. The people of Kashmir demand freedom through the exercise of their right to self-determination — a solemn promise made by the United Nations itself.” She said and added that if India has nothing to hide, it should allow UN Mechanisms, international human rights organizations, and the international media access to the occupied territory.
“Demand of Kashmiri people is freedom through the exercise of right to self-determination, the fulfillment of a solemn promise made by the United Nations through its own Security Council resolutions,”.
Theatre of Intolerance’
Saleem accused India of transforming what it calls the world’s largest democracy into a “theatre of intolerance,” citing rising Islamophobia and attacks on minorities.
“Under the banner of Hindutva, minorities live in fear — Muslims are lynched, mosques demolished, churches burned,” she said, describing a climate where “calls for genocide and hate speech are normalized.”
The Pakistani envoy said such trends had “consumed the veneer of secular India,” stifling diversity and dissent while deepening divisions across South Asia.
Regional Stability and Water Tensions
Saleem also accused India of “repeated violations” of Pakistan’s sovereignty and of destabilizing the region through disinformation and coercive posturing toward its neighbours. She cited India’s alleged involvement in cross-border aggression and what she called “the defeat of May 10,” when “its aggressive designs were foiled and exposed before the world.”
Turning to environmental concerns, Saleem criticized India’s handling of shared water resources under the Indus Waters Treaty, accusing New Delhi of “weaponizing water” by withholding treaty obligations during climate-induced floods and droughts. “This is not just a violation of international law,” she said. “It is an affront to human dignity and the basic norms of good neighbourliness.”
Call for Justice and Self-Determination
Concluding her address, the Pakistani envoy said lasting peace in South Asia would remain “a distant dream” until India ended what she described as its “occupation of Jammu and Kashmir” and “state-sponsored terrorism.”
“Pakistan will continue to stand firm for peace, justice, and for the rights of the oppressed Kashmiri people,” Saleem said.
Pakistan has consistently maintained that Kashmir’s final status must be determined in line with UN Security Council resolutions and through the will of its people.
