India criticises Pakistan, says it will never bow down to nuclear threats

Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India.

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 10 (STC): India has strongly criticized Pakistan at the United Nations, saying that nuclear weapons should not be used as a routine instrument of state strategy. India made it clear that it will never bow to nuclear threats and any terrorist attack will be befittingly responded to. According to the agency reports, India exercised its right of reply in response to Pakistan’s statement at the plenary session of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. The First Committee considers issues related to disarmament, international security and international peace.
After Pakistan raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, India reiterated its position and said that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India.
Anmol Sher Singh Bedi, Senior Advisor to the Permanent Mission of India to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, responding on behalf of the Indian delegation, said that India has always been a supporter of peace and is striving for peace and cooperation with all countries.
However, he warned that if irresponsible actions are not held accountable, peace will remain a temporary respite between crises. He said that India’s defence capabilities are tailored to its own security environment and defence needs and are not intended to be aggressive against any other country.
Bedi said that concerns about escalation are certainly important, but they must be assessed in the light of the ongoing behaviour of the countries concerned. He stressed that nuclear weapons should not be considered a routine part of state strategy. “Resorting to the threat of nuclear power to limit the consequences of sub-conventional activities, especially acts like terrorism, risks escalating tensions rather than promoting restraint,” he said.
Referring to Pakistan’s strategy, the Indian representative said that in India’s experience, crises in the region have repeatedly unfolded in the same pattern. First provocative action is taken, then responsibility is denied and when it is responded to, appeals for restraint and peace begin. Bedi said that when those in power are not elected representatives of the people and are not accountable to the people, the common people have to pay the price for their decisions.
Bedi said that the steps taken by India in May last year were taken in self-defense after a serious provocative incident like the Pahalgam terrorist attack. He described these operations as targeted, limited to specific targets and carried out with the aim of avoiding escalation of tensions.
He reiterated that India will not accept any kind of blackmail on the issue of terrorism and has the right to take necessary measures to protect its security. Referring to the Indus Waters Treaty, Anmol Sher Singh Bedi said that when this treaty was signed, it was based on mutual trust, good faith and goodwill. He said that no state can, on the one hand, weaken the foundations of trust and cooperation and on the other hand, expect that the privileges and benefits derived from this relationship will continue to exist.
In his address, the Indian representative also expressed concern over the issue of nuclear proliferation and referred to the history of the AQ Khan network, named after Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan.
(Straight Talk Communications I Inputs from Agencies)