'Dressing up massacre as military op': India rebukes Pakistan at UN over Afghan strikes

NEW DELHI: India launched a scathing attack on Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council on Monday, accusing it of blocking Afghanistan's trade routes and carrying out deadly airstrikes that have killed hundreds of civilians.India's UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish termed Pakistan's refusal to grant transit access to Afghan merchants as "unprecedented 'trade and transit terrorism'." He highlighted that New Delhi has been issuing hundreds of gratis long-term business visas to support impacted Afghan traders."This cynical closure of access for this landlocked country is in total violation of UN declarations on Landlocked Developing Countries and a clear weaponisation of their trade and transit vulnerabilities," the ambassador stated.Harish strongly condemned Pakistan's military operations inside Afghanistan, citing UNAMA reports that documented 372 civilian deaths and 397 injuries from Pakistani airstrikes — a large majority of them during the holy month of Ramadan."Dressing up a massacre as a military operation does not absolve the perpetrator," he said. "Killing, maiming and orphaning civilians is not counter-terrorism. Espousing high principles of international law and Islamic solidarity while mercilessly carrying out airstrikes during the holy month of Ramadan is the perfect example of hypocrisy."He also dismissed Pakistan's tendency of "blaming neighbours for its own failures" and accused Islamabad of spreading officially sponsored disinformation.Harish noted that Pakistan, in its statement earlier, had questioned the intent of UNAMA and the veracity of the UN Secretary-General's report. "We would like to stress that support for multilateralism and the United Nations is not an à la carte menu," he said.In stark contrast to Islamabad's approach, Harish underscored India's humanitarian and developmental assistance to Afghanistan, comprising over 50,000 tonnes of wheat, 420 tonnes of medicines and vaccines, alongside relief operations following recent earthquakes.India has also been funding medical treatment for Afghan children with congenital heart diseases, upgrading local healthcare infrastructure, and providing academic scholarships to nearly 3,000 Afghan students since 2023, a cohort that includes 1,000 women.Drawing attention to cultural and social bonds between the two nations, Harish pointed to the joy generated by Afghan cricketers playing in the Indian Premier League, as well as India's initiatives in hosting a bilateral cricket series."Sports have a rare power to lift a nation's spirit. We definitely believe that our Afghan brothers and sisters deserve this," he concluded.