India on Saturday hit back at Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks at the United Nations General Assembly and placing its concerns over Islamabad’s political system and military influence on record.
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First secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Petal Gahlot, referred to the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks and Osama bin Laden’s presence near the Pakistani Army’s premier academy while responding to remarks made by Pakistan’s representative.
"This afternoon, the General Assembly heard some bizarre remarks from the representative of Pakistan. This happens just a fortnight after New York City and the world marked the 25th anniversary of the horrendous 9-11 terrorist attack. This context is important to keep in mind because its mastermind, Osama bin Laden, was living right on the doorstep of the Pakistani Army's premier academy. This was the very entity which was the subject of such deep genuflection before us today by the representative of Pakistan. But all this is only to be expected from what Pakistanis themselves call a Form 47 government."
Gahlot also addressed Pakistan’s references to democratic rights and human values, pointing to the situation in its capital and the role of the military in the country’s political system.
Gahlot further said, "We heard some hypocritical homilies about democratic rights and human values from a regime whose capital at this very moment is being fortified against its own people. And that, Mr. President, is happening because this is a regime of the army, by the army, and for the army. Their puppets may come and go, but let us have no illusion about who calls the shots. The reality of Pakistan is expressed in its 27th Amendment and the lifelong immunity granted to its real ruler."
