India strongly criticized Pakistan at the United Nations for its poor record on women’s rights, exposing Islamabad’s role in the horrific mass rapes of nearly 400,000 women during the 1971 Operation Searchlight. The sharp exchange took place as Pakistan once again attempted to draw attention to the so-called “plight” of Kashmiri women during a UN session on women and security.

 

Speaking at the UN Security Council debate, India’s Permanent Representative Parvathaneni Harish condemned Pakistan’s ongoing “baseless narratives,” especially concerning Jammu and Kashmir. He emphasized that India’s contributions to the global women, peace, and security agenda have remained credible and consistent over the years.

 

“A nation that bombs its own citizens and carries out systematic genocide cannot mislead the world through distortion and exaggeration,” Harish said, referring to Pakistan’s air force strike last month in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that killed over 30 civilians, including children.

 

During his address, Harish brought global attention back to the atrocities of Operation Searchlight, the 1971 military crackdown by the Pakistani army against the Bengali population in what was then East Pakistan. The operation saw widespread killings, torture, and sexual violence against hundreds of thousands of women.

 

The campaign was led by General Tikka Khan, infamously known as the “Butcher of Bengal,” who oversaw one of the darkest chapters in South Asian history. The violence during that period culminated in the Liberation War of 1971, resulting in Pakistan’s defeat and the creation of Bangladesh.