UNITED NATIONS: India on Friday lashed out at Pakistanlink>forgrowing terrorism adding that the neighbouring country needs to change its”mindset” of differentiating between good and bad terrorists.
Pakistan, on the other hand, hit back raking the up the issue of Indiandeath-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav.
India had urged the UN Security Council to focus on challenges posed byterrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border.
“Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Afghanistan onDecember 24, 2015 to inaugurate the Parliament building, stopped over inLahore, Pakistan.
Unfortunately, these visits were followed by a heinous and barbaricterrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase on January 1, 2016, perpetratedand planned by the very same mindsets which attack the spirit ofAfghanistan every day,” Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said.
“These mind sets differentiate between good and bad terrorists. Thesemindsets refuse to see reason in peace. They are mindsets that arereluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a sharedfuture for our people and our youth. These mindsets, Mr. President, need tochange,” Akbaruddin added.
Responding to India’s criticism, Permanent Representative of Pakistan tothe UN Maleeha Lodhi raised the case of Jadhav, who was caught in Marchlast year and sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for allegedspying.
“Those who talk of changing mindset need to look within, at their ownrecord of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy hasproven beyond doubt,” Lodhi said.
When the US and Afghanistan also vetoed on regarding continued terror safehavens in Pakistan, Lodhi stayed firm on her denial.
“Afghanistan and its partners, especially the United States need to addressthese challenges inside Afghanistan rather than shifts the onus for endingthe conflict on to others. Those who imagine sanctuaries outside reallyneed a reality check,” she said.
There were no takers for Lodhi’s claims that there are no terrorist safehavens inside Pakistan. None of the more than two dozen speakers came outin support of the Pakistani argument in this regard.