Actions will 'certainly have consequences': India warns Pak on cross-border terrorism

United Nations, Sept 29 (PTI) India on Saturday warned Pakistan that its "policy" of cross-border terrorism will never succeed and its "actions will certainly have consequences”.

“Many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control, but some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences. A premier example is our neighbour, Pakistan,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in his address to the General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

Hitting out strongly at Pakistan a day after the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif referred to Jammu and Kashmir in his UNGA address and a Right of Reply exercised by a Pakistan diplomat, Jaishankar told the UN General Assembly that Islamabad's "misdeeds" affect others as well, especially the neighbourhood.

“When this polity instills such fanaticism among its people, its GDP can only be measured in terms of radicalisation and its exports in the form of terrorism,” he said.

“Today we see the ills it sought to visit on others consume its own society. It can't blame the world. This is only karma,” Jaishankar said in a strongly-worded condemnation of Pakistan.

He said that a dysfunctional nation coveting the lands of others must be exposed and must be countered.

“We heard some bizarre assertions from it at this very forum yesterday. So let me make India's position perfectly clear. Pakistan's cross border terrorism policy will never succeed, and it can have no expectation of impunity. On the contrary, actions will certainly have consequences,” Jaishankar said.

“The issue to be resolved between us is now only the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan, and, of course, the abandonment of Pakistan's long standing attachment to terrorism,” he said.

Jaishankar also said that terrorism is antithetical to everything that the world stands for.

"All its forms of and manifestations must be resolutely opposed. The sanctioning of global terrorists by the United Nations should also not be impeded for political reasons,” he said.

The remark comes against the backdrop of China, Pakistan's all-weather ally, repeatedly placing holds on and blocking proposals submitted by India and its partners, such as the US, to designate Pakistan-based terrorists under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Security Council." Sharif, in his address at the General Debate on Friday, raked the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, as expected, making references to Article 370 and Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani in his over 20-minute speech.

Sharif spoke at length about Kashmir saying that “similarly, like the people of Palestine, the people of Jammu and Kashmir too, have struggled for a century for their freedom and right to self-determination”.

Referring to India’s decision to abrogate Article 370, the Pakistan prime minister said to secure durable peace, “India must reverse the unilateral and illegal measures” of August 2019 and enter into a dialogue for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue in accordance with the UN Security resolutions and "wishes of the Kashmiri people”.

Sharif had said “even more worryingly”, India is engaged in massive expansion of its military capabilities, which are essentially deployed against Pakistan. “Its war doctrines envisage a surprise attack and a limited war under the nuclear overhang.” He said India has spurned Pakistan's proposals for a mutual "strategic restraint regime". “Its leadership has often threatened to cross the Line of Control” and take over Kashmir, Sharif had said, adding that Pakistan will respond most decisively to any Indian aggression.

In a strong retort, India slammed Pakistan in the UN General Assembly, saying Islamabad’s “fingerprints" are on terrorist incidents across the world and the country should realise that cross-border terrorism against India will “inevitably invite consequences”.

India exercised its Right of Reply in the UN General Assembly on Friday in response to Sharif raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in his UNGA address.

“This Assembly regrettably witnessed a travesty this morning. A country run by the military, with a global reputation for terrorism, narcotics trade and transnational crime has had the audacity to attack the world's largest democracy,” First Secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Bhavika Mangalanandan said, delivering India’s Right of Reply. PTI