India on Wednesday described Pakistan as a country that "covets the territory of others uses terrorism as state policy towards that misguided end". Indian Ambassador to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin made the statement after Pakistan brought up the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani at a meeting of the international body, NDTV reported.
Pakistan's UN envoy Maleeha Lodhi raised the matter of the Hizbul chief's death and the ongoing clashes in Jammu and Kashmir during a debate on human rights at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. Lodhi had said that the killing of the 21-year-old "Kashmiri leader" by Indian forces was "extrajudicial". In response, Akbaruddin said Pakistan has not been able to get UN membership because of its "track record". He added, "Cynical attempts, like the one this morning, find no resonance in this forum or elsewhere in the United Nations."
Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had criticised Indian security personnel's use of "excessive and unlawful force" against civilians in Jammu and Kashmir during protests triggered by Wani's death. He had also suggested that India hold a plebiscite in the state "to ascertain the will of the people for future alignment with either Pakistan or India".
The toll in the protests triggered by the Hizbul commander's killing has reached 35, with two more deaths recorded on Wednesday. The Health Ministry sent three eye specialists from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, to Jammu and Kashmir to help the state treat pellet injuries among those injured.
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