At UNSC, India Pulls Up Pakistan For Kashmir Remarks, Calls Out ‘Inhuman Conduct’ During Airstrikes On Afghanistan

India, on Thursday (May 21, 2026), slammed Pakistan’s “long-tained” record of genocide and accused Islamabad of using terror as a tool to destablise South Asia.

At the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) annual open debate, India’s Permanent Representative Ambassdor Harish Parvathaneni also charged Pakistan of carrying out cross-border violence against Afghan civilians.

“It is ironic that Pakistan, with its long-tainted record of genocidal acts, has chosen to refer to issues that are strictly internal to India,” Parvathaneni said in response to Islamabad’s representative raised the Kashmir issue during the debate.

“The world has not forgotten that it was during the holy month of Ramadan in March this year, at a time of peace, reflection, and mercy, that Pakistan conducted a barbaric airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul,” he said.

He also cited data from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to highlight how Islamabad’s military operations have been behind large-scale civilian casualties in Afghanistan.

“The UNAMA documentation attributed 94 of 95 incidents of civilian casualties to Pakistani security forces. Again, according to UNAMA, this cowardly and unconscionable act of violence (airstrikes during Ramadan) claimed the lives of 269 civilians and injured a further 122 in a facility which can by no means be justified as a military target,” the diplomat noted.

Parvathaneni accused Islamabad of ignoring international calls to protect civilians and uphold humanitarian obligations. He noted it is “hypocritical” of Pakistan to espouse high principles of international law while “targeting innocent civilians in the dark.”

According to UNAMA data, the Pakistani airstrikes occurred at the conclusion of tarawih evening prayers, when numerous patients were leaving the masjid. The report said over 94,000 people were assessed as displaced due to cross-border armed violence perpetrated against Afghan civilians.

The Indian envoy said that such heinous acts of aggression by Pakistan should not come as a surprise from a country that “bombs its own people and conducts systematic genocide”.

He also accused Pakistan of sanctioning the systematic campaign of genocidal mass rape of 400,000 women citizens by its own army during Operation Searchlight in 1971.

Operation Searchlight was the codename the Pakistani Army used for its action against the Bangladeshi nationalist movement in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in March 1971.

“Such inhuman conduct reflects Pakistan’s repeated attempts over decades to externalise internal failures through increasingly desperate acts of violence both within and beyond its borders. With no faith, no law, and no morality, the world can see through Pakistan’s propaganda,” he said.

Parvathaneni noted that protecting civilians, including during conflict situations, is a central element of the maintenance of international peace and security. He was speaking on ‘Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’.

“We congratulate China on assuming the UNSC Presidency for this month and also welcome convening this annual open debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. We thank the Secretary General for his report and the briefers for their insightful remarks this morning,” he said.

Parvathaneni said that 2025 saw a decline of recorded civilian deaths after three years of steady increase. “India reaffirms its strong commitment to the UN Charter and stresses that protecting civilians at all times, including conflict situations, is a central element of maintenance of international peace and security,” he said.

“In 2025, recorded civilian deaths across twenty armed conflicts was more than 37,000. Although this is the first decline after three years of steady increase, the numbers are still high,” he said.

“Continued civilian casualties, displacement, destruction of critical infrastructure and attacks on hospitals, schools, medical personnel and humanitarian workers remain deeply concerning,” he added.

Parvathaneni said that India calls for zero tolerance to the loss of civilian lives. “India calls for zero tolerance to the loss of civilian lives. Parties to armed conflict must ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access while respecting international humanitarian law,” he said.

“Even a decade after the adoption of UNSC Resolution 2286, repeated attacks on civilian facilities and humanitarian workers reflect a serious erosion of respect for international humanitarian law. India reiterates that medical personnel and humanitarian workers must be protected at all times,” he added.

Parvathaneni said the growing trend of use of drones to deploy explosive weapons in urban areas is especially concerning. “As highlighted in the UNSG’s report, the use of missiles, bombs and other explosive weapons in cities and populated areas remains a major cause of civilian harm,” he said.

“The use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, by parties to conflict must be in conformity with international law and humanitarian principles.

“Safeguards must be in place to prevent misuse and unintended harm to civilians. Protection of civilians cannot be achieved through humanitarian responses alone.

“The targeted use of violence against civilians to achieve political objectives, including terrorism, must be addressed comprehensively,” he said.

Parvathaneni also condemned cross-border terrorism and highlighted that India has been a victim of such a form of terrorism for decades.
“India remains deeply concerned about the persistent threat posed by cross-border terrorism, which continues to undermine regional peace, stability, and the fundamental principles of international security,” he said.

“States that sponsor, shelter or support terrorism must be held accountable. India has consistently emphasised that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations remains one of the gravest threats to civilians worldwide. No cause or grievance can justify deliberate attacks against civilians,” he added.