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India has drawn global attention to Pakistan’s history of atrocities in Bangladesh during its Independence movement, reminding the international community of the ‘genocidal mass rape’ campaign carried out by the Pakistani army.
This came as Islamabad sought to deflect criticism of its own record through ‘misdirection and hyperbole’.
Speaking at the UN Security Council on Monday during a debate on Women, Peace and Security, India’s Permanent Representative, P Harish, stated, “This is a country that conducted Operation Searchlight in 1971 and sanctioned a systematic campaign of genocidal mass rape of 400,000 women citizens by its own army.”
Reacting to Pakistan’s attempt to raise the Kashmir issue, he added, “The world sees through Pakistan’s propaganda.”
India’s remarks coincided with a response from the Dhaka government led by Mohammad Yunus to Islamabad’s diplomatic outreach.
Harish described the statement by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, as a ‘delusional tirade’ that invoked Jammu and Kashmir, ‘the Indian territory they covet’.
He went on to say, “A country that bombs its own people, conducts systematic genocide, can only attempt to distract the world with misdirection and hyperbole.”
Pakistan’s Pattern at the United Nations
Pakistan has a long-standing pattern of bringing up Kashmir at the United Nations, regardless of the discussion’s focus, even though none of the other 192 member states support its stance.
Ahmad accused India of human rights violations, but his own government’s security forces killed at least 12 people last week in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during a harsh crackdown on calls for political reform.
During the same session, UN Secretary-General António Guterres marked the 25th anniversary of a landmark Security Council resolution that strengthened women’s roles in conflict prevention, negotiations, and peace-building.
He noted significant progress since then, including women leading local mediation, influencing new legislation, and advancing justice for survivors of gender-based violence.
He also highlighted that the number of women peacekeepers has doubled and gender-related provisions in peace agreements have become increasingly common.
However, he cautioned that ‘gains are fragile and – very worryingly – going in reverse’, citing rising military spending, more armed conflicts, and worsening violence against women and girls globally.
India’s Longstanding Role in Women’s Peacekeeping
Harish described the adoption of the resolution as a ‘transformative moment that fundamentally reshaped our understanding of peace and security — recognising that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the full and equal participation of women’.
He added that India’s commitment to these principles existed well before the resolution’s adoption.
Indian medical officers were among the first women to join UN peacekeeping operations, beginning with their deployment to Congo in 1960.
Later, in 2007, India contributed the first all-female Formed Police Unit to UN operations in Liberia, which inspired local women to join law enforcement and contribute to rebuilding their country.
He also noted that Kiran Bedi, India’s first woman police officer, became the UN’s first female Police Adviser and head of the United Nations Police Division in 2003.
“It is no longer a question of whether women can do peacekeeping; rather, it is whether peacekeeping can do without women,” Harish said.
He concluded by outlining India’s continued efforts to strengthen women’s leadership in peacekeeping through the Indian Army’s Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in New Delhi.
A specialised course for women military officers was introduced in 2016, with participants from numerous countries taking part.
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