India Accuses Pakistan of Genocidal Mass Rape During 1971, Calls Out Kashmir Claims at the UN:

In a sharply worded address to the United Nations Security Council, India’s Permanent Representative, Parvathaneni Harish, condemned Pakistan’s record on women’s rights — veterans and ongoing — while dismissing Islamabad’s efforts to spotlight the “plight” of Kashmiri women. Harish accused Pakistan of hiding its own historic atrocities under a cloak of distraction and inflammatory rhetoric. Speaking during a Security Council debate focused on women, peace, and security, Harish refused to let Pakistan divert attention. “Our pioneering record on women, peace and security agenda is unblemished and unscathed,” he declared. He described Pakistan’s rhetoric as nothing more than “delusional tirades” aimed at manipulating global opinion. India’s representative strongly criticized Pakistan for its alleged campaign of “genocidal mass rape” during Operation Searchlight in 1971. Harish reminded the world that during that crackdown — launched against East Pakistan, which eventually became Bangladesh — hundreds of thousands of women were detained, tortured, and brutalized. He said Pakistan’s own troops, overseen by the notorious General Tikka Khan — known by the chilling epithet “Butcher of Bengal” — carried out these atrocities. Among these, he said, was the rape of 400,000 women in a systematic campaign of mass violence. These historical crimes, Harish insisted, are still relevant today as indicators of human rights conduct. Harish linked these past violations to Pakistan’s ongoing behavior. He referenced an airstrike in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which reportedly killed more than 30 people, including children, underscoring what he called Pakistan’s pattern of “bombing its own people.” These examples, he argued, demonstrate Islamabad’s true record — one that is violent and oppressive, not victimized or innocent. During her own speech, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Saima Saleem, accused India of subjecting Kashmiri women to sexual violence, asserting that such abuses have been deployed as weapons of war for decades. However, India’s Harish countered these claims by asserting that Pakistan has not produced credible evidence to support them, despite what he called persistent allegations. Harish further insisted that the international community sees through what he described as Pakistan’s propaganda. Instead of facing its own history and ongoing violations, he said, Pakistan chooses to focus on “mischievous hyperbole” — trying to redirect attention from its own human rights failures by amplifying Kashmir. By invoking Operation Searchlight, India is calling attention to one of the most egregious chapters in South Asia’s history — a campaign led by Pakistani forces in 1971 that resulted in the widespread violation of women’s rights, accused genocide, and eventual liberation of Bangladesh. Harish suggested that these events are not just historical footnotes but moral benchmarks against which current claims should be measured. The confrontation at the UN illustrates a deeper contest over international narrative, accountability, and moral legitimacy. India’s stance: its record is unblemished, unlike Pakistan’s alleged ongoing abuses. Pakistan’s stance: that Kashmiri women’s plight must not be ignored, even if it shifts focus from other issues. Harish’s speech appears designed to achieve multiple goals: to defend India’s stance in Kashmir; to challenge Pakistan to offer verifiable evidence for its accusations; and to cast Pakistan’s historical record in stark light, especially regarding Operation Searchlight and the alleged mass rape of 400,000 women. In summary, during the UN Security Council debate on women and security, India forcefully rebutted Pakistan’s accusations regarding sexual violence in Kashmir. Harish accused Pakistan of continuing a strategy of deflection, highlighting the 1971 genocide, Operation Searchlight, and what India portrays as Pakistan’s failure on women’s rights and human dignity. For India, confronting these historical and current issues transparently is crucial — not just in defending its own policies, but in holding others to account under international norms and human rights standards.

NEWS