New Delhi: After Pakistan attacked India over the recent Ayodhya verdict and the Kashmir issue at the 40th session of the general conference of the Unesco in the French capital Paris, India lashed out at Pakistan on Thursday, reminding the world where the perpetrator of the 9/11 attack in the US (Osama bin Laden) was found hiding. New Delhi also strongly hailed the Ayodhya verdict, saying it is “about the rule of law and equal respect for all faiths, concepts that are alien to Pakistan and its ethos”.
According to reports, Pakistan education minister Shafqat Mahmood criticised the Ayodhya verdict at the Unesco meet and had alleged that it was contrary to the values of religious freedom. In addition, Pakistan foreign secretary Sohail Mahmood had also called a meeting of envoys of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member-nations in Islamabad on Wednesday and had criticised the Ayodhya verdict in their presence.
“We condemn the unwarranted comments made by Pakistan ... (and) refute Pakistan’s juvenile propaganda to malign India through fabricated lies, full of deceit and deception. The (Indian Supreme Court’s) judgment (on the Ayodhya issue) is about the rule of law and equal respect for all faiths, concepts that are alien to Pakistan and its ethos. So, while Pakistan’s lack of comprehension is not surprising, their pathological compulsion to comment on our internal affairs with the obvious intent of spreading hatred is condemnable,” India told the UN body.
On the issue of terrorism, New Delhi said, “Tragically, the reality facing us is that Pakistan is the world’s largest producer and exporter of this evil. Pakistan’s political approaches are rooted in terrorist violence and its global engagement is defined by the mainstreaming of terrorism as an instrument of statecraft.” New Delhi also said Pakistan had raised the matter in “flagrant violation of Unesco’s constitution, ethos, mandate and practices”.
“Ask yourself the following questions — in which country were the perpetrators of 9/11 (Osama bin Laden) and 26/11 terror attacks (Hafiz Saeed) discovered? Where were Osama bin Laden and (Taliban leader) Mullah Omar found? Which country is home to 130 UN designated terrorists and 25 terrorist entities listed by UN as of today? The Army of which country massacred millions of its own citizens just because they spoke a different language (reference to the genocide in erstwhile east Pakistan in 1971)? The answers to these questions is Pakistan.”
“The Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh have always been, are, and shall always be an integral part of India and this includes the territory that is currently under the illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan,” New Delhi said.
“We, the UNESCO and the global community certainly do not need Pakistan, this hub of global terrorism to be waxing eloquent on internal affairs of my country,” the Indian delegation said.
