By The South Asia Times

NEW YORK - Pakistan accused India of sponsoring militant groups, violating human rights and seeking to alter the demographic composition of  Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in a strongly worded right of reply at the United Nations on Wednesday.

Muhammad Jawad Ajmal, counsellor at Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN, made the remarks while responding to remarks by India’s representative.

Ajmal accused India of “propaganda” and said New Delhi was attempting to divert attention from what Pakistan described as its own record on human rights, minority rights and Kashmir.

Ajmal said Pakistan had suffered from what he described as Indian-sponsored terrorism, accusing New Delhi of supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorist groups through proxies operating from Afghanistan.

He also alleged that India had provided material and logistical support to the Taliban under the cover of humanitarian assistance, with the objective of facilitating attacks against Pakistan.

Ajmal cited the 2016 arrest of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav in Pakistan as an example of what Islamabad calls Indian state involvement in terrorism. 

The Pakistani diplomat also referred to allegations involving Indian nationals and attacks abroad, including the case of Nikhil Gupta in the United States and the killing of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The US Justice Department has charged Gupta in an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting a US-based Sikh separatist. Gupta pleaded guilty in October 2024.  Canadian authorities have accused Indian government agents of involvement in Nijjar's killing, allegations India has rejected.

Ajmal also sharply criticized India's policies in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly measures introduced after Aug. 5, 2019, when New Delhi revoked the region's special constitutional status and reorganized the former state into two federally administered territories.

Pakistan argues that India's subsequent measures violate international law and UN Security Council resolutions and are intended to alter the demographic composition of the disputed region.

The UN Secretary-General has also said that the status of the region is governed by the UN Charter and applicable Security Council resolutions.

Pakistan continues to cite earlier Security Council resolutions calling for a plebiscite to determine the final disposition of Jammu and Kashmir. UN records contain resolutions and documents referring to a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices,

Ajmal also referred to Operation Sindoor, India's military operation in May 2025, and Pakistan's subsequent military response.

He said Pakistan's actions were carried out in response to what Islamabad described as Indian aggression and argued that the events of May 2025 had demonstrated Pakistan's ability to defend itself.

India and Pakistan engaged in several days of military confrontation in May 2025 before agreeing to a ceasefire. Pakistan won this war and called it "great victory" against India.

In his first statement, Ajmal said Pakistan would defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, population and security while maintaining what he described as its commitment to peaceful dispute settlement, international law and the UN Charter.

In a second right of reply, he turned his criticism toward India's domestic policies, accusing the ruling BJP and the broader Hindutva movement of discrimination against Muslims, Christians, Dalits and Sikhs.

He also accused India of using policies introduced after Aug. 5, 2019, to change the demographic character of Jammu and Kashmir.

“These policies have no place in the 21st century,” Ajmal said, urging the international community to reject what Pakistan described as “settler colonialism.”

The UN Secretary-General, during a visit to Pakistan this week, has emphasized Islamabad's role in promoting the peaceful settlement of disputes and discussed the threat of terrorism with Pakistani leaders.