"Hypocrisy": India Slams Pak For Passing Terrorism As "Freedom Struggle" At UN

India has slammed Pakistan at the United Nations (UN) for attempting to legitimise its cross-border terrorism under the guise of a "freedom struggle" and labeling its terrorist brigades as "freedom fighters".

Speaking at an interactive dialogue with Ben Saul, the UN Special Rapporteur on Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism, Muhammad Jawad Ajmal, a Counsellor at Pakistan's UN Mission, said that nations should "distinguish between terrorism and the exercise of the legitimate right of people to resist foreign occupation."

India Exposes Pak's 'Hypocrisy'

Replying, Raghoo Puri, First Secretary at India's Permanent Mission to the UN, denounced Ajmal's remark, calling it "doublespeak and hypocrisy" by the "epicenter" of global terrorism.

"Terrorism is among the gravest of offences that fundamentally violates the core of humanity. It represents the worst of bigotry, violence, intolerance, and fear, and terrorists are the worst of the worst in humankind," he said. 

Puri stressed that Islamabad's "doublespeak and hypocrisy stand exposed," calling Pakistan "a well-known epicenter of terrorism with established links to multiple terror attacks across the world targeting innocent civilians."

Pak's Attempt To Legitimise Terrorism

Pakistan's representative also attempted to misinterpret international law during the interactive dialogue. Ajmal falsely claimed that the "distinction (between terrorism and freedom struggle) is duly observed in International Law, International Humanitarian Law, and General Assembly resolution 46/51, which also endorses this position".

Contrary to the claim, a 1994 General Assembly declaration expressly states, "Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them."

This is reiterated in a 2004 Security Council resolution and the 1999 International Convention Against Financing Terrorism adopted by the UN General Assembly.

The Assembly resolution that Ajmal cited, 46/51, adopted in 1991, makes a glancing mention of liberation struggles but does not legitimise terrorism carried out under that claim and goes on to stress that it "once again unequivocally condemns as criminal and unjustifiable all acts, methods, and practices of terrorism wherever and by whomever committed".

It demanded that all nations "fulfil their obligations under international law to refrain from participating in terrorist acts in other states".

Pak Is 'Worst Violator Of Human Rights'

Negotiations for the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism proposed by India have been mired for 19 years by the insistence of Pakistan and a small coterie of countries on trying to define their favoured terrorists as "freedom fighters".

Ajmal claimed that the counterterrorism measures taken by India were violating the human rights of those attacking the country.

Puri said, "Terrorism is the gravest threat to humanity, and its abettor and aider, like Pakistan, remains the worst violator of human rights."

Ajmal also opposed the world organisation's efforts against terrorism, claiming that the "UN's counter-terrorism architecture has regrettably singled out one religion for affiliation with terrorism".

Puri dismissed that as Pakistan's "futile attempts to take cover of Islamophobia to hide its atrocities".