India's response at UNGA to brinkmanship (extracts)
Recognise address as hate speech: .
..Every word spoken from the podium of this august Assembly, it is believed, carries the weight of history. Unfortunately, what we heard today from Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan was a callous portrayal of the world in binary terms. Us vs Them; Rich vs Poor; North vs South; Developed Vs Developing; Muslims vs Others. A script that fosters divisiveness at the United Nations. Attempts to sharpen differences and stir up hatred, are simply put - “hate speech”...Some questions:
...Mr President, now that Prime Minister Imran Khan has invited UN observers to Pakistan, to verify that there are no militant organizations in Pakistan, the world will hold him to that promise. Here are a few questions that Pakistan can respond to as a precursor to the proposed verification:
Can Pakistan confirm the fact that it is home to 130 UN designated terrorists and 25 terrorist entities listed by the UN as of today.
Will Pakistan acknowledge that it is the only government in the world that provides pension to an individual listed in the Al Qaeda and Daesh sanctions list.
Can Pakistan explain why here in New York, its premier bank - the Habib Bank - had to shut shop after it was fined millions of dollars over terror financing.
Will Pakistan deny that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has put the country on notice for its violation of 20 of the 27 key parameters.
And finally, would Prime Minister Khan deny to the city of New York that he was an open defender of Osama bin Laden.
- Conclusion:
..The mainstreaming of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh, in India's thriving and vibrant democracy, with a millennia-old heritage of diversity, pluralism, and tolerance is well and truly under way - irreversibly so. The citizens of India do not need anyone else to speak on their behalf, least of all those who have built an industry of terrorism from the ideology of hate.