Disguising a massacre as a military operation does not absolve the perpetrators: India vs Pakistan at the UNSC

India has launched a scathing attack on Pakistan at the United Nations, condemning its “trade and transit terrorism” and military strikes against Afghanistan.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, on Monday (June 08, 2026) launched a scathing attack against Pakistan at the UN Security Council during its session on ‘Situation in Afghanistan’.

“Pakistan’s campaign of military airstrikes against Afghanistan is causing massive civilian casualties and suffering to the Afghan people… Such reckless acts of violence are a blatant attack on Afghanistan’s sovereignty and threaten the peace and stability of the region,” Parvathaneni said.

India has strongly condemned the airstrikes on Afghan territory, saying it is a flagrant violation of international law, the UN Charter and the principle of state sovereignty.

Mr. Parvathaneni cited information from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to note that 372 civilians were killed and 397 wounded in the first three months of this year alone; the vast majority of them during the holy month of Ramadan, which is a time of peace, mercy and reflection, making this act all the more reprehensible.

“No faith, no law and no morality can justify such acts,” he said at the UN horseshoe table.

As Pakistan listened, India emphatically reiterated that “dressing up the massacre as a military operation does not absolve the perpetrators. Killing, maiming and orphaning civilians is not a fight against terrorism”.

“Claiming the high principles of international law and Islamic solidarity while mercilessly carrying out airstrikes during the holy month of Ramadan is a perfect example of hypocrisy,” Parvathaneni said.

He added that “blaming neighbors for one’s own failures is an old Pakistani habit. This attempt to deceive the world will fail.” India also strongly rejected Pakistan’s directives for groups inside its own borders to label themselves as “Fitna al Hindustan”, calling it the result of an “organized hate factory” against India.

Parvathaneni described such a move as “officially sponsored disinformation and disinformation dressed up in religious terminology”. “Fitna al Hindustan” is a term used by the state to refer to terrorist groups based in Balochistan.

“It is the result of an organized hate factory from the deep state of Pakistan, which aims to keep its citizens in a state of permanent enmity against India to maintain their hold on power and control over national resources and divert them from major political and economic issues,” the Indian envoy said.

“The de facto military coup through the 27th Amendment of the Constitution is only its latest manifestation,” the Indian envoy said.

Mr Parvathaneni was referring to the 27th Constitutional Amendment passed in November last year under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which gives Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir lifelong immunity from any legal prosecution.

India also condemned the “trade and transit terrorism” inflicted on Pakistani businessmen, calling it a violation of World Trade Organization norms.

India, a major destination for Afghan exports, offers Afghan goods duty-free access to Indian markets and has launched a dedicated air cargo corridor between India and Afghanistan.

Mr. Parvathaneni said India is also supporting Afghan businessmen by issuing hundreds of free long-term business visas who are “suffering from unprecedented ‘trade and transit terrorism’ inflicted on them by Pakistan, which has denied them passage for trade.”

“The cynical closure of access for this landlocked country is in stark contrast to UN declarations on landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and a clear weaponization of their trade and transit vulnerabilities. This blatant Pakistani violation of WTO and UN Charter norms and international law should be condemned by the global community,” he said.

Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said in a statement that the Secretary-General’s latest report on the situation in Afghanistan appeared to largely “externalize” responsibility for Afghanistan’s multifaceted problems.

“The deaths of terrorists and their supporters from CT (counter-terrorism) operations are mentioned under ‘civilian casualties’, raising serious questions about the credibility of UNAMA’s reports from Afghanistan and the nature of their engagement with the Taliban,” Ahmad said.

When Pakistan questioned the intent of UNAMA and the veracity of the Secretary-General’s report, Mr Parvathaneni said: “We would like to emphasize that support for multilateralism and the UN is not an à la carte menu.” India has also expressed its steadfast stand against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

“Only a coordinated effort by the international community can ensure that ISIL and Al-Qaeda and their affiliates, including Lashkar-e-Tayyib and Jaish-e-Mohammed and LeT proxies such as the Resistance Front, along with those who facilitate their operations, no longer indulge in cross-border terrorism,” he said, so that they “cannot work together towards this goal.”

Published – 09 Jun 2026 08:43 IST