Vidisha Maitra delivering India’s Right to Reply (Source: Twitter/MEA)

India came back with a response on 28 September, to the speech made by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at UN General Assembly on 27 September, exercising its Right to Reply to the statement made by Imran Khan.

Earlier, on 27 September, Imran Khan addressed the 74th UN General Assembly with 50 minute speech  – exceeding his allotted 15 minutes, the time given for UN speeches during the General Debate. Nearly half of the speech included Kashmir and how the classification of the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as Union Territories as well as the tight restrictions imposed on residents as well as politicians of J&K over the last two months.  He warned the Assembly of a face-off between Pakistan and India, influencing far reaching cross border consequences.

Apart from Kashmir, the highlights of Imran Khan’s speech were the growing Islamophobia, banning the term Islamic Terrorism, terror financing and drug money among others, which were appreciated by the audience.  He reiterated that the basis and fundamentals of every religion is compassion.  Imran added that no one from the Muslim leaders explained to the world that there is nothing known as Radical Islam – a term coined post 9/11.

However, when the rhetoric of his speech consisted of Kashmir, India exercised its right to reply and came up with a response today on 28 September. Vidisha Maitra, India’s First Secretary at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations, read out India’s Right to Reply response at the UNGA today.  India classified the speech made by the Pakistan Premier as “Hate Speech”, highlighting the mention of the terms pogrom, bloodbath, pick up the guns, etc as more of brinkmanship rather than the words of a statesman.

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The response, read out by Vidisha, further said that the speech by Imran Khan was a callous portrayal of the world that fostered divisiveness.  India’s response included a 5 question list that it asked Pakistan to respond to. The five questions that India asked to be responded to were:

1. Would Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan deny to the city of New York that he was an open defender of Osama bin Laden (mastermind of the 9/11 terror attack that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York)?
2. Will Pakistan acknowledge that it is the only government in the world that provides pension to an individual (Hafiz Seed) listed by the UN in the Al Qaeda and Da’esh Sanctions list?
3. 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?
4. Will Pakistan deny that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has put the country on notice for its violations of more than 20 of the 27 key parameters?
5. Will Pakistan confirm if it is not a fact that it provides home to 130 UN-designated terrorists and 25 terror entities listed by the United Nations?

Read the Full Transcript of India’s response here:

Mr. President,

I take the floe floor to exercise India’s right of reply to the statement made by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

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”.

Rarely has the General Assembly witnessed such misuse, rather abuse, of an opportunity to reflect. Words matter in diplomacy. Invocation of phrases such as “pogrom”, “bloodbath”, “racial superiority”, “pick up the gun” and “fight to the end” reflect a medieval mindset and not a 21st century vision.

Prime Minister Khan’s threat of unleashing nuclear devastation qualifies as brinkmanship, not statesmanship.

Even coming from the leader of a country that has monopolized the entire value chain of the industry of terrorism, Prime Minister Khan’s justification of terrorism was brazen and incendiary.

For someone who was once a cricketer and believed in the gentleman’s game, today’s speech bordered on crudeness of the variety that is reminiscent of the guns of Darra Adam Khel.

Now that Prime Minister Imran Khan has invited UN Observers to Pakistan to verify that there are no militant organisations 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.

Mr. President,

Having mainstreamed terrorism and hate speech, Pakistan is trying to play its wild card as the newfound champion of human rights.

This a country that has shrunk the size of its minority community from 23% in 1947 to 3% today and has subjected Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadiyas, Hindus, Shias, Pashtuns, Sindhis and Balochis to draconian blasphemy laws, systemic persecution, blatant abuse and forced conversions.

Their newfound fascination for preaching human rights is akin to trophy hunting of the endangered mountain goat – markhor.

Pogroms, Prime Minister Imran Khan Niazi, are not a phenomenon of today’s vibrant democracies. We would request you to refresh your rather sketchy understanding of history. Do not forget the gruesome genocide perpetrated by Pakistan against its own people in 1971 and the role played by Lt. Gen A A K Niazi. A sordid fact that the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh reminded this Assembly about earlier this afternoon.

Mr. President,

Pakistan’s virulent reaction to the removal of an outdated and temporary provision that was hindering development and integration of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir stems from the fact that those who thrive on conflict never welcome the ray of peace.

While Pakistan has ventured to upstream terrorism and downstream hate speech there, India is going ahead with mainstreaming development in Jammu and Kashmir.

The mainstreaming of Jammu & 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 underway. Irreversibly so.

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. I thank you, Mr. President.