Slamming Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for glorifying slain Hizbul commander Burhan Wani at the UN, India today said his remarks show Pakistan’s continued attachment to terrorism.
“Pak PM Sharif at #UNGA glorifies Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani in UN’s highest forum. Shows continued Pak attachment to terrorism,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.
Pak PM Sharif at #UNGA glorifies Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani in UN's highest forum. Shows continued Pak attachment to terrorism.
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 21, 2016
Pak PM Sharif at #UNGA in complete denial of Uri terror attack. 19 infiltration attempts stopped at LoC this year. Indigenous??!!
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 21, 2016
During his address to the UN General Assembly session today, Sharif raked up Kashmir issue and described Wani as a “young leader”.
Pakistan Prime Minister said Wani, who was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8, has “emerged as the symbol of the latest Kashmiri Intifada, a popular and peaceful freedom movement“.
Sharif also claimed that he had gone the extra mile to offer “a dialogue to address all outstanding issues but India has posed unacceptable preconditions to engage in a dialogue.”
Responding to Sharif’s allegations, Swarup said India’s only condition for talks is an end to terrorism.
“PM Sharif at #UNGA says India poses unacceptable conditions to dialogue. India’s only condition is an end to terrorism. This not acceptable,” Swarup said.
Also reacting to Sharif’s speech was the junior external affairs minister, MJ Akbar.
“We just heard a speech full of threat bluster and rising immaturity and complete disregard of facts,” Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar said at a press conference at the India’s permanent mission here after Sharif’s address to the UN General Assembly.
He also criticised Sharif for glorifying Wani, who was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8, and said India “will not succumb to blackmail tactics of the Pakistan Government that seems eager to use terrorism as policy”.
“We heard the glorification of a terrorist. Wani is declared commander of Hizbul, widely acknowledged as a terror group. It is shocking that a leader of a nation can glorify a self-advertised terrorist at such a forum. This is self incrimination by Pakistan PM,” Akbar said.
Rejecting Sharif’s offer to India to enter into a serious and sustained dialogue for the peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes, the minister said, “Talks and guns don’t go together”.
“Pakistan at this moment seems to be run by a war machine rather than a government. Pakistan wants dialogue while holding a terrorist gun in its hand,” he said.
He also rejected Sharif’s allegations against India with regard to the current unrest in Kashmir and said, “Kashmir occupation is by Pakistan occupation army. The world also knows that Pakistan has been indulged in ethnic cleansing of its own people,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
