Pakistan is a serial debtor, mired in fanaticism and terrorism: India strongly criticizes at UNSC meeting

 United Nations: India has said at the UN Security Council that countries that incite cross-border terrorism will have to pay a serious price. India made these bold statements in front of leaders there, who were also present at the meeting, describing its neighbour as a serial debtor mired in fanaticism.

As we discuss promoting international peace and security, it is essential to recognise that there are certain fundamental principles that must be universally respected. One of them is zero tolerance for terrorism, said India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvatneni Harish.

Parvatneni Harish made these remarks last night at the UN Security Council's high-level open debate on promoting international peace and security through multilateralism and peaceful resolution of disputes, which Pakistan is chairing for the month of July.

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar chaired the open debate, which was addressed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The discussion raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and the Indus Water Treaty.

After the Pahalgam attack, India decided that the 1960 Indus Water Treaty would be suspended until Pakistan renounced its support for cross-border terrorism. Turkey mentioned Jammu and Kashmir in its statement during the open discussion.

Reacting strongly to Dar's remarks, Harish said that the Indian subcontinent offers a stark contrast in terms of progress, prosperity and development patterns. On one hand, India has a mature democracy, a growing economy, a pluralistic and inclusive society.

On the other hand, Pakistan, mired in extremism and terrorism, is a serial borrower from the IMF (International Monetary Fund), he said.

In May this year, the IMF had approved the disbursement of about one billion dollars to Pakistan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), taking the total disbursement under this arrangement to about 2.1 billion US dollars.

In his statement at the United Nations Security Council, he spoke about the Pahalgam terrorist attack by The Resistance Front, a front of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Harish stressed that countries that violate the spirit of neighborliness and international relations by promoting cross-border terrorism should be severely punished.