New York: India on Tuesday hit back at Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Giving a befitting reply to the neighbouring country, India's representative Kshitij Tyagi referred to the air strikes conducted by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing at least 30 civilians.
Tyagi accused Pakistan of abusing the UNHRC forum with baseless and provocative statements against India.
]"A delegation that epitomises the antithesis of this approach continues to abuse this forum with baseless and provocative statements against India. Instead of coveting our territory, they would do well to vacate the Indian territory under their illegal occupation and focus on rescuing an economy on life support, a polity muzzled by military dominance, and a human rights record stained by persecution," Tyagi said.
"Perhaps once they find time away from exporting terrorism, harbouring UN-proscribed terrorists, and bombing their own people," he added.
Tyagi's remarks came while speaking during Agenda Item 4 of the UNHRC session. A video of his response to Pakistan is now going viral.
On Monday, reports surfaced that at least 30 civilians, including women and children, were killed in the air strikes conducted by the PAF in Matre Dara village in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the early hours of Sunday, September 21.
The reports also claimed that the PAF used JF-17 Thunder jets to drop at least eight LS-6 precision glide bombs on the civilian settlement. However, the Pakistan Army denied the media reports.
Earlier, Amnesty International had also criticised Pakistan’s counter-terrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and described these operations as an “alarming disregard for civilian life."
Notably, eyewitnesses claimed that several houses collapsed and the bodies were pulled out of rubble after the alleged air strikes by the PAF.
