Pakistan slams India for terming Kashmiris’ struggle terrorism

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has told the United Nations Security Council that India is suppressing the Kashmiris’ struggle for freedom, as no effort has been made to distinguish terrorism from the pursuit of people’s legitimate right to self-determination and national liberation.”

This right (to self-determination) is inherent and it was promised to the Kashmiri people by the Security Council,” Ambassador Munir Akram said in a written response to a speech made by India’s UN envoy on August 9 during the 15-member body’s debate on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

Ruchira Kamboj, the Indian envoy, had made oft-repeated allegation that Pakistan without naming it was aiding some terrorist groups, and expressed surprise that a UN counterterrorism report did not take notice of the activities of several proscribed groups, especially those repeatedly targeting India.

Rejecting Indian insinuations, Akram reiterated his government’s strong condemnation of terrorism in “all forms and manifestations”, saying that Pakistan was a principal victim of terrorism and continued to suffer attacks from ISIL-K-affiliated terrorist groups like the TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) and JuA (Jamaat-ul-Ahrar) emanating from across the Pakistani borders, often sponsored and financed by Pakistan’s regional adversary.

“It is essential to examine why despite global strategies, mechanisms and interventions, the terrorism threat has proliferated, especially in Asia, Africa and elsewhere, and has proved so difficult to eradicate,” the Pakistan envoy said, underscoring the need for addressing the root causes of terrorism injustice, oppression, foreign intervention and occupation and suppression of the right of people to self-determination.

“The proliferating conflicts across the world are a clear signal that the UN and international community have failed to address these root causes of conflicts and accompanying manifestations of terrorist violence. Recent international counterterrorism strategies have made no effort to distinguish terrorism from legitimate struggles for self-determination and national liberation.