New Delhi, April 29 India has strongly raised the Pahalgam terror attack at the United Nations and also flagged a Pakistani minister's "confession" to training and funding terrorists.
The horrific terror attack on April 22 left 26 people, including 25 tourists and one local, dead, representing the largest number of civilian casualties since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008.
Ambassador Yojna Patel, India's Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN, on Monday flagged a Pakistani minister's "open confession" to training and funding terrorists at the UN.
Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif had said in a recent TV interview that his country has backed terrorism over the decades. This confession was not surprising, and it exposed Pakistan as a "rogue state" that has been fuelling global terrorism, said Ambassador Yojna Patel at the UN.
"The whole world has heard Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif admitting and confessing Pakistan's history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations in a recent television interview. This open confession surprises no one and exposes Pakistan as a rogue state fuelling global terrorism and destabilising the region. The world can no longer turn a blind eye," she said.
Khwaja Asif, in a TV interview soon after the Pahalgam terror attack, was asked by a journalist about Pakistan's role in backing terrorist organisations. "We have been doing this dirty work for the US for the past three decades, including the West and the UK," he had said.
Ambassador Patel also slammed Pakistan for misusing and undermining the global forum to "indulge in propaganda and make baseless allegations against India."
She was speaking at the launch of the Victims of Terrorism Association Network (VoTAN) in New York.
She said India fully understands the long-lasting impact such terror acts have on victims, their families and society, having been a victim of cross-border terrorism for decades.
The Ambassador said that India deeply appreciates and values the strong, unequivocal support and solidarity extended by leaders and governments across the world in the wake of the recent terrorist attack at Pahalgam, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
"This is a testimony to the international community’s zero tolerance for terrorism...We reiterate that terrorism in all its forms must be condemned unequivocally," she said.
Ambassador Patel said the establishment of the VoTAN was a significant step as it will create a structured, safe space for victims to be heard and supported.
"India believes that initiatives like VoTAN are essential to strengthening the global response to terrorism, ensuring that victims remain at the centre of our collective efforts," she added.
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