India snubs Pak at UN meet, says neighbour has DNA of terrorism

Taking a swipe at Pakistan over its claims and allegations on the Kashmir issue, India on Thursday (November 14) said the “cash-strapped” nation itself had “a deep-rooted DNA of terrorism”.

In an answer to Pakistan on the Jammu and Kashmir issue at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris, Ananya Agarwal, who led the Indian delegation, said Pakistan’s “neurotic behaviour” had resulted in its decline to a nearly failed state with a weak economy.

“Pakistan’s neurotic behaviour has resulted in its decline to a nearly failed state with its weak economy, radicalised society and deep-rooted DNA of terrorism,” ANI quoted Agarwal as saying at the conference.

Condemning Pakistan’s “disappointing misuse” of UNESCO to spew venom against India, she said the leader of the neighbouring country was misusing the UN platform to “openly preach nuclear war and issue a call to use arms against other nations”. She was referring to Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s remarks at the UN General Assembly session in September where he had hinted at a nuclear war in case of a face-off between the two nations.

Accusing Pakistan of making repeated attempts to tarnish India’s image in the eyes of the world, Agarwal said Pakistan itself is home to several human rights violations of its minority community.

“Would this gathering believe if I told them that one of Pakistan’s former presidents Gen Pervez Musharraf recently called terrorists such as Osama Bin laden and Haqqani network as Pakistan’s heroes,” she said.

“From 1947, when the minorities formed 23 per cent of Pakistan’s population they have now dwindled to make nearly 3 per cent. It has subjected Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadiyya, Hindus, Shias, Pashtuns, Sindhis and Balochis to draconian blasphemy laws, blatant abuse and forced conversions. The gender-based crimes against women including honour killings, acid attacks, forced conversions, forced marriages and child marriages remain a severe problem in Pakistan today,” ANI quoted her as saying.

The panellist urged the UNESCO membership to reject such gross misuse of its platform by a member nation.