We are fighting poverty, but Pak fighting against us: Sushma in UN address
New York: Addressing the 72nd United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj slammed Pakistan for producing terrorists and supporting terrorist outfits like JeM and LeT. This is Swaraj’s third such address at an international platform.
Highlighting the glaring difference between India and Pakistan Sushma said that while India produced engineers, Pakistan produced terrorists.
"We produced scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists," asked Sushma in her address to the UN.
"PM Narendra Modi has offered the hand of peace and friendship. Pakistan’s Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer," she questioned.
Listing the various development schemes, such as Jan Dhan, Mudra, Ujjwala, Skill India of Modi government, Swaraj said, "India is fighting poverty, however, Pakistan is fighting with us".
Swaraj also asked Pakistani leaders to introspect as to why India is recognised as a global IT superpower while Pakistan as an infamous "export factory for terror".
Commenting on Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, Swaraj said, “If we cannot agree to define our enemy, how can we fight together?”
Beginning her address, she stressed that the contemporary world was trapped in a deluge of troubles of which, surely, the most dangerous is the relentless rise of violence.
The foreign minister spelled out concerns like terrorism, climate change, maritime security, unemployment, gender empowerment, nuclear proliferation and cybersecurity.
On achieving target set for 2030, EAM Sushma Swaraj called for a sense of urgency and unshakeable fortitude to take decisions to avert catastrophe.
"India has displayed courage and leadership to take tough decisions which have launched interlinked process of sustainable development," EAM said.
“Efforts at text-based negotiations on the reform and expansion of the Security Council were initiated in the last session and more than 160 nations had expressed support for
this effort. If we are serious, then the least we can do is produce one text that can be the basis for negotiation," Swaraj said in her address to the UN General Assembly.
Stressing on PM Modi's economic empowerment approach to eradicate poverty, the minister said that the government was transforming the people of the nation from job-seekers into job-providers.
Backing Modi's decision to impose note ban, Sushma said,"Demonetisation was a courageous decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to challenge one of the by-products of corruption, the 'black money' that disappeared from circulation".
On the menace of terrorism, EAM stressed that we must all introspect and ask ourselves whether our talk is anywhere close to the action we take.
On a concluding note, Sushma said that India's culture and thought have been shaped by history and philosophy that believes in peace as humankind's only rational and practical objective: May all be happy; May all be healthy; May all see what is good; May all be free from suffering.
Her address comes a day after India called Pakistan "Terroristan", in response to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s claims of human rights violations in areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
