India issued a strong rebuttal to Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday, accusing Islamabad of misusing UN platforms to spread politically motivated narratives while ignoring serious human rights abuses within its own borders.
Speaking during the annual open debate on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, described Pakistan as “one of the grave violators” of the CAAC agenda. He rejected Pakistan’s repeated efforts to deflect attention from its own record of atrocities against children and its support for cross-border terrorism.
“I am constrained to respond to the politically motivated remarks made by the delegate of Pakistan. Pakistan is casting unwarranted aspersions over UN processes and also smearing India at various discussions to pursue their nefarious agenda,” Harish said.
He cited the UN Secretary-General’s recent report that documented violations against children in Pakistan, and highlighted Islamabad’s ongoing attempts to distract from its actions. Harish also called out Pakistan’s direct role in terrorist activities that target children and civilians in India, referencing the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 tourists were killed by Pakistan-trained terrorists.
Harish condemned the frequent targeting of schools—especially girls' schools—and healthcare workers, and pointed to Pakistani military operations near the Afghanistan border, where cross-border shelling had resulted in the deaths of Afghan children.
He also mentioned the Pakistani army’s deliberate shelling of Indian border villages in May 2025, which killed and injured civilians, adding that Pakistan’s conduct made its lectures at the UNSC “grossly hypocritical.”
Harish concluded by urging the international community to remain focused on strengthening child protection mechanisms, especially in regions affected by terrorism and conflict.
