Country that claims to seek peace with neighbours will never shelter planners of 26/11 attack: India
United Nations (PTI): In a strong response to Pakistan, India has said in the UN General Assembly that a country that claims to seek peace with its neighbours would never sponsor cross-border terrorism nor would it shelter planners of the horrific Mumbai terrorist attack, disclosing their existence only under pressure from the global community.
India exercised the Right of Reply in the UN General Assembly on Friday to respond sharply to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had raked up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir during his address to the high-level General Debate earlier in the day.
It is regrettable that the Prime Minister of Pakistan has chosen the platform of this august assembly to make false accusations against India, First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Mijito Vinito said in the Right of Reply.
He has done so to obfuscate misdeeds in his own country and to justify actions against India that the world considers unacceptable, the young Indian diplomat said.
In his address, Sharif reiterated that Pakistan wants to have peace with India but added that long-lasting, enduring peace can only be insured and guaranteed through a just and fair solution to the issue of Kashmir under the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.
India responded that a polity that claims it seeks peace with its neighbours would never sponsor cross-border terrorism, nor would it shelter planners of the horrific Mumbai terrorist attack, disclosing their existence only under pressure from the international community.
Vinito said such a country would not make unjustified and untenable territorial claims against neighbours, it would not covet their lands and seek to illegally integrate them with its own.
But it is not just about the neighbourhood that we have heard false claims today. It is about human rights, about minority rights and about basic decencies, he said.
When young women in the thousands from the minority community are abducted as an SoP (Standard Operating Procedure) what can we conclude about the underlying mindset?
India asserted that the desire for peace, security and progress in the Indian subcontinent is real. It is also widely shared and it can be realised.
That will surely happen when cross-border terrorism ceases, when governments come clean with the international community and with their own people. When minorities are not persecuted and not least, when we recognise these realities before this Assembly.
Pakistan then exercised its Right of Reply in response to the comments by India.
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WB BJP chief urges state admin to act against violence perpetrators irrespective of party colours
Kolkata (PTI): A day after the BJP's sweeping victory in the West Bengal assembly polls, state party president Samik Bhattacharya on Tuesday urged the administration to act firmly against perpetrators of post-poll violence irrespective of political affiliation.
Addressing reporters after a meeting of the party's top leadership at its Bidhannagar office, Bhattacharya said strict action must be taken against those indulging in violence and warned that BJP workers found involved in such activities would be expelled from the party.
"Post-poll violence would not be tolerated in any form. If anyone from our party is found involved, we will be compelled to remove them," he said.
The BJP leader also appealed to Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala to ensure prompt administrative intervention wherever incidents of violence are reported.
"I would like to urge the administration to take necessary action wherever such incidents occur. This is precisely why the people of West Bengal have chosen the BJP," he said.
Bhattacharya thanked the electorate for the party's emphatic mandate and expressed gratitude to migrant workers who returned to the state to cast their votes despite logistical challenges.
According to party sources, a high-level meeting was held at the BJP's Bidhannagar office on Tuesday, attended by central observers and senior state leaders, to discuss measures to prevent violence and maintain law and order in the post-result scenario.
The discussions also focused on ensuring that there is no repeat of the violence reported after the 2021 assembly elections, when the BJP had accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of targeting its workers.
The BJP has secured 207 of the 293 seats where polls were held, securing a two-thirds majority and paving the way for its first government in West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress has won 80 seats.
Bhattacharya also appealed to party workers to maintain restraint and not let the victory celebrations turn disruptive.
"I urge our workers to remain peaceful, stay happy, and fulfil the responsibilities given by the party. Do not hurt anyone in the name of celebration, and do not hurt anyone's sentiments," he said.
