Pakistan now host to ‘Ivy League’ of terror, India tells UN

In a scathing response to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's recent United Nations General Assembly address, India told the UNGA that Pakistan was ''now host to the Ivy League of terrorism''.

Referring to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, India told the United Nations that terrorists continued to freely roam Pakistan's streets and enjoyed state patronage. The accusations came hours after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif demanded a probe into rights violations in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir at the UN General Assembly session.

Replying to the prime minister's address, Eenam Gambhir, a senior diplomat at India's UN mission, said, ''The worst violation of human rights is terrorism. When practised as an instrument of state policy it is a war crime. What my country and our neighbours are facing today is Pakistan's longstanding policy of sponsoring terrorism, the consequences of which have spread well beyond our region.''

Gambhir further stated that India saw Pakistan as a ''terrorist state'' which had diverted millions of dollars from international aid, to train, finance and support terrorist groups. ''With the approval of authorities, many terrorist organisations raise funds openly in flagrant violation of Pakistan's international obligations,'' she said. Gambhir added that though Pakistan's nuclear proliferation record talked about restraint, renunciation and peace, it was actually marked by ''deception and deceit''.

 ''Similar false promises it has made to us – the international community – on terrorism. Perhaps renunciation of lies and self-restraint on threats could be a good place for Pakistan to start,'' Gambhir said.

Slamming Sharif for glorifying slain HuM commander Burhan Wani, Gambhir said, ''Even today we have heard support by the Prime Minister of Pakistan for a self-acknowledged commander of a known terrorist organisation.

''It (Pakistan) extends support to extremist groups, it suppresses minorities and women and denies basic human rights including through draconian laws,'' she said, adding that Pakistan lacked democracy.

Dwelling on the recent Uri attack which killed at least 18 Indians, Gambhir said, ''That terrorist attack is part of a trail of continuous flow of terrorists trained and armed by our neighbour and tasked to carry out terrorist attacks in my country.''

India's minister of state for external affairs M J Akbar too joined the anti-Pakistan tirade, branding Sharif's UNGA address as ''immature'' and ''full of threats''. He scoffed at Islamabad for wanting dialogue while holding a gun, adding India will ''never succumb to such tactics and blackmail''.

Addressing a press conference here moments after Sharif's address, Akbar stated that Pakistan at the moment seems to be run by a war machine rather than a government. ''Pakistan wants dialogue while holding a gun... a terrorist gun in its hand. Talks and guns don't go together,'' he said. ''Our position on a dialogue has been consistent. We have always been ready for a dialogue, but we will not succumb to the blackmail and tactics of a government in Islamabad that seems eager to use terrorist and terrorism as policy.''