UNITED NATIONS, Nov 1: Pakistan on Thursday reiterated its call for the establishment of an International Criminal Tribunal for full accountability by India “of the ghastly murderers of innocent Muslims in Gujarat.”
Speaking at an on-going debate in the UN General Assembly on the “Elimination of racism and racial discrimination” and Agenda Item 108: “Right of peoples to self-determination” Pakistan’s ambassador, Munir Akram , pointed out that “the international community has punished others, Indian might and power should not be allowed to obstruct the course of justice.”
Exercising the right of reply in responding to Indian delegates charges of cross border terrorism, Mr Akram, said that the international community should impose sanctions against India for violating several UN Security Council’s resolutions on the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The genesis of Kashmir dispute lies in the blatant Indian denial of inalienable right to self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” said Pakistan’s chief delegate.
He added: “whatever India may say, the position of the UN is reflected in Security Council Resolution 47 of 1948 — and 80 of 1950 “the final disposition of the state of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the UN.”
Mr Akram asserted that India remains in breach of these and several subsequent Security Council resolutions and is in violation of its, obligations under Article 25 of the UN Charter, India deserves to be subjected to international sanctions to seek their implementation.”
Noting that India advertises itself as the largest democracy, Mr Akram observed that its “a democracy that is shy of allowing people to exercise the right to self-determination is a contradiction in term, since democracy in words and autocracy in action equals hypocrisy in reality.”
Underscoring that in India “where dark forces of hinduvta, political fascism and religious chauvinism are on a rampage against all minorities, most of all Muslims. Mr Akram said that “this (India) is a democracy where ruling party traces its lineage to RSS whose founder and godfather Gowalkar made no secrets about his great admiration for Nazis. Fifty years ago he wrote “we pledge ourselves resolutely not to rest until we have wiped out this bolt (Muslims in India).
The leader of Shiv Sena Bal Thackeray has openly called for “doing to the Muslims what the Nazis did to Jews, put them away in Gas chambers.
Responding to Indian delegates charges that Pakistan was overstating the massacres in Gujarat, Akram quoted a former Indian civil servant Harash Mandar who visited Ahmedabad and reported “most people I met — social workers, journalists, survivors — agree that what Gujarat witnessed was not a riot, but a terrorist attack followed by a systematic, planned massacre, a pogrom, the pillage and plunder, being organized like a military operation.
“What can you say about a women eight months pregnant who begged to be spared. Her assailants instead slit open her stomach, pulled out her fetus and slaughtered before her eyes. What can you say about a family of 19 being killed by flooding their house with water and then electrocuting them with high-tension electricity? What can you say?’ he observed.
Referring to the role of mercenaries and terrorists, Akram said that “the Human Rights Watch in its report “behind the Kashmir conflict” reveals that India has been systematically using state sponsored counter militants — renegades composed of captured or surrendered freedom fighters to perform grave violations of human rights under threats and intimidation of the Indian security forces.”