Lambasting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s “glorification” of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in his speech to the UN General Assembly, India said hailing a “self-advertised” terrorist at the forum is “self- incrimination” by the Pakistani leader.
Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar said it is “shocking” that a leader of a nation can “glorify a self- declared self-advertised terrorist” at a forum such as the United Nations General Assembly.
“We heard the glorification of a terrorist. Burhan Wani was a self-declared commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, this organisation is widely acknowledged internationally as a terrorist group,” Akbar said at a briefing to Indian reporters here responding to Sharif’s General Debate address at the UN yesterday.
“This is self-incrimination by the Pakistan Prime Minister. We just heard a speech full of threat, bluster and what can only be described as rising immaturity and complete disregard of facts,” Akbar said.
In his nearly 20-minute speech, almost half of which was focussed on Kashmir, Sharif hailed Wani as the “symbol” of the Kashmiris’ freedom movement.
He said a “new generation” of Kashmiris has risen spontaneously against India’s “illegal occupation – demanding freedom from occupation”.
The Pakistan Prime Minister referred to Wani, who was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8, as a “young leader” and said he has “emerged as the symbol of the latest Kashmiri Intifada, a popular and peaceful freedom movement…”
India also strongly rejected Sharif’s call for “a serious and sustained” dialogue “without any conditions”, with Akbar saying that Islamabad is talking about dialogue with a “gun in its hand”.
