Calling out Pakistan’s double standards, India says a nation that shelters terrorists and kills civilians cannot preach about protecting human rights at the global stage.
India on Friday launched a sharp attack on Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), accusing its neighbour of deliberately targeting civilians and supporting terrorism, including by using civilian spaces as cover for terror operations.
Speaking at a UNSC session on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said that the Pakistani army recently shelled Indian border villages, killing over 20 civilians and injuring more than 80. He alleged that the attacks intentionally targeted religious places and medical facilities.
Pakistan attacked border villages with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), constant firing and shelling as its forces intervened on behalf of terrorists after India targeted terror hideouts of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as part of Operation Sindoor earlier this month.
Indian Army dispelled the aerial attacks but the Pakistan Army attacked civilian and residential areas forcing Indian armed forces to carry out strikes on Pakistani military installations. The Pakistan Army attacked hospitals and places of worship in Poonch and other border districts.
“There was intentional targeting of places of worship, including gurudwaras and temples, as well as medical facilities,” Harish said, adding that the assault was a blatant violation of international humanitarian norms.
He further said that India has endured decades of Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks, pointing to past incidents such as the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the recent massacre of tourists in Pahalgam in April 2025.
Harish criticised Islamabad’s consistent glorification of terrorists, saying, “We just recently saw senior government, police and military officials pay respects at the funeral of noted terrorists.”
“A nation that makes no distinction between terrorists and civilians has no credentials to speak about protecting civilians,” the envoy added.